


Fearless

by ombre_des_dieux



Series: Immortal Lovers [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-05-31 17:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 65,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6480523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ombre_des_dieux/pseuds/ombre_des_dieux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the past, Alexiandretta had a purpose: the safekeeping of the Hamato line. Now, her dreams are the only remaining link to her lost family. Or so she believes… When she stumbles across another ancient being in peril and lends her aid, those beliefs are thrown into chaos. </p>
<p>Little does she know, her family needs her now more than ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Past -Prologue

**Feudal Japan, 1601.**

Over the hill, amidst the smoke and the ruins, a raging fire cast its brilliant red and orange glow upon the horizon. They hadn't been ready. Not for her. Perhaps they never would be. 

Her presence sparked an all-out war as the powers-that-be declared her appearance a portent of victory and launched into battle. They didn't realize, or care, if she had a mind and a mission all her own.

Around her, people fled before the flames like ants before a deluge, scattering across the fields and seeking shelter in the flooded rice paddies. Unlike the insects they resembled, they made no effort to save their fellows or protect their queen. Not that she deserved their protection. Not after this. 

_ What ruler puts their desire for power above the safety of their own people? _

Not an honorable one. But the Daimyo's second wife ruled as queen in name only. At most a regent, she controlled the land and affairs of the province temporarily due to the sudden demise of her husband. Her reign was limited, ending when the heir came of age. This did not sit well with the usurper, for she wished for ultimate control. 

The last remaining descendant of the Daimyo by his first wife, the prince was young. It was the only thing which spared him from her wicked poisons. As long as he could be controlled, and offered her some semblance of legitimacy, he was safe. 

But in her greed, the queen ignited a war she could not win. Now, the battle had come to their doorstep. Beset on all sides, these humans could no longer protect him... 

Alexiandretta could. 

_ It is my sacred calling.  _

She wove her way sinuously down the mountain trail, sparing an indifferent glance for the attacking warlord. He sat arrogantly upon his horse, egging his raiders on as they swept through the town, setting fire to everything in their path. His metal half mask, Samurai helmet, layered armor and razor gauntlets were indicative of his clan, designed to intimidate. 

_ The Oroku Lords always tend toward the dramatic. _

She snorted contemptuously. They fell far short of the majesty of her own iridescent blue and purple scales, seven-inch talons, horns, and gleaming teeth. Still, it wouldn't do to attract his attention, not if she wanted to extract the heir unharmed. With a bit of concentration and a rasping sound, she formed herself into something far less conspicuous. 

A small girl child of seven or eight, with shorn hair and a short gray frock, appeared to peek cautiously around the next house, checking the street in front of her for trouble. Her golden eyes remained slitted for a split second, before morphing into the round pupils of the humans around her and darkening to a soft chocolate brown. 

Now there was nothing to give her away. 

Stealthily, she crept through the ancient town; dark mud caking on her bare feet, splashing up her ankles, and coating her calves. In the chaos, it wasn't hard to make her way to the golden palace and slip in. She was small enough now to fit through the bars of the rear gate and no one spared a second glance as she strode boldly through the gardens. With an attack imminent, no one had time to worry about a street urchin wandering around. 

Inside the manor, they ignored her as well, even as she drifted through opulent halls where her peasant garments screamed she did not belong. She didn't pause to admire the walls adorned with meticulous paintings. Mostly, these delicate friezes on rice paper screens illustrated the history of the ruling family, outlining the hereditary lands and the greatness of their name. 

If one peered closely, her likeness could be found occasionally amongst the intricate designs. She stopped, staring at one unsubtle rendering close to the floor and dismissed it with a derisive shake of her head. This artist had never actually seen her. The colors were off and he didn't even capture her wings in his depiction. 

But perhaps it was wrong to condemn the creator for his inaccuracies for she was in the minority. Most of her oriental brethren shunned flight, preferring instead to travel by magic. She couldn't blame them. It took hundreds of years to master an element and the majority stuck to one despite their long lives. 

She had been precocious. Fire was easily controlled and with it transmutation. Yet the sky also called in a way she could not ignore. But that was neither here nor there. 

Her old sensei would have smacked her with a claw, told her to focus, and claimed all this wind was scrambling her brain. She smirked affectionately at the memory. It was wind which made her pause here. Wind which informed her the target lingered nearby.

As she stood critiquing the work, a small boy peeked out of an open door to stare. The only one to notice how out of place she seemed in his home. He had certainly never seen this girl with the short dark hair and the dirty feet before. She was a little older and, if she had been one of the daughters of the great nobles, they would have been introduced. Yet she didn't seem impressed by the grandness of the palace. 

He wondered about the painting which held her attention so firmly when all the adults around them ran and scuttled about like lost crabs. In all the hustle and bustle her stillness was magnetic. 

Obviously, she didn't fear the cause of the uproar and he felt the need to follow her courageous example. Slowly, so as not to ruin the moment, he crept into the busy hallway to her side to see what she was examining. When he saw the picture he understood.

She didn't move, or even look up, as little prince Yoshi came to stand beside her. He hesitated, at first, then reached out his hand and took hers. She entwined their fingers and together they stood staring straight at the image in front of them, neither regarding the other. 

"This one's my favorite," he whispered when the silence grew too heavy.

She did not reply for so long he began to wonder if she knew how to speak, but eventually she volunteered a single word. 

"Why?"

"It's the only one where the Guardian is down low enough for me to see," he admitted. "Someday, when I'm older, I'm going to find it and ask it to teach me. I want to be a protector." 

He tilted his head for a stealthy glance at her face, hoping she didn't think his ambition amusing since everybody knew he couldn't be anything but the heir. 

Their eyes caught and she suppressed a gasp. His were a beautiful combination of grey and blue, the color of the sea after a storm. A marker which appeared in the family line only once in a dozen generations. The last time she'd seen it was more than 300 years ago at her oath ceremony. 

Yoshi's eyes gleamed in the lamplight, projecting an innocent determination and reminding her forcefully of why she adopted the clan in the first place. They reflected hope and prophecy, but not if the spark was allowed to die out. 

When she said nothing, his gaze returned to the painting and his other hand traced the gleaming lines of the beast in reverent awe. Very few families had a physical Guardian. Many had spiritual or ancestral ones, but the Hamato line had been blessed with an entity who intervened directly when the continuation of the line was threatened, at least, according to legend. 

"You believe in the Guardian?" she asked and he nodded with endearing eagerness.

"It makes me feel safe."

"What about your guards and teachers?" 

He shrugged a little sadly, wise beyond his years. "They are only here because the regent requires them. The Guardian protects my family because they are a part of it."

His quiet statement tugged at her heart. This young prince had lost his whole world. Parents, cousins, uncles, the entire rest of his clan had been quietly removed by the queen, one by one. The only thing he had left to cling too was a name and a myth. 

A legend which now stood beside him.

She nodded thoughtfully, deciding to reveal herself even though it was against the rules. Guardians were fleeting shadows who inspired and saved in magical ways; purveyors of miracles woven into tradition. But Yoshi had no one else. He deserved the comfort of the truth.

She could not show him here. There were too many eyes and not enough space. 

"I bet with all this commotion, the Guardian is nearby," she said instead. "We should hunt for it!"

The prince's eyes lit up and a huge smile crossed his little face. He nodded wildly in anticipation of such an adventure and with a gentle tug, she towed him down the hall toward the exit. Their escape was easy. Two children offered little interest for those battling grown men. And she used her elemental influence to distract those who drew too close. 

When they left the city for the open stars of the countryside, she revealed her true form; exposing herself as his beloved Guardian. They stayed together for several weeks and she adored her little prince, but ultimately she was called to account. 

This pairing was a breach of her oath and the Council of Eight forced her hand, insisting Yoshi be placed in a more permanent home. She didn't want to leave him. In so short a time, she cherished him as her own. 

But the role of Guardian had strict rules, enforced with an iron fist. She was meant to love the line, not any particular individual in it. She would be removed if she continued to interact with him in defiance of tradition. 

She vividly remembered the day she left. She chose him a home in a beautiful forest, away from the province of his birth. A place of safety, far from the rampaging fury of the warlords, where he could grow and live and learn.

Yoshi clutched at the hem of the robes of an old man and stared at her with worried eyes, but the elder had a granddaughter who swore on her honor to watch out for him. Mitsu was true to her word. The little boy grew, prospered, learned to fight, and protect. He married, founded a large family, and died without ever seeing her again. 

But tales of her endured within the clan. As myths and legends are want to do...


	2. Echoes of Eternity

**New York, NY - present day.**

Leonardo knelt briefly at the shrine in the dojo and dropped his head, muttering the ritual phrases for assistance. He did not speak his wishes aloud but his thoughts screamed for aid. Not only for what he was about to attempt but for the whole situation in which they found themselves.

It was dangerous.

Tonight, he risked losing himself and weakening the family. But it was necessary, for that same family's future was in peril. He raised determined, steely, blue-grey eyes to the shrine and blinked softly in surprise.

For one moment, the candle dimmed, then flared. Had his pleas been heard?

Whether they had or not, it was time to go or he would be late. Gathering himself, his weapons, and his hope; he left the dojo and the lair. Evading his family. Silent as a shadow.

Behind him, the flame on the altar flickered and went out.

Tunnels long familiar passed in a blur. Topside, things were no different. He barely noted the rooftops and the number of alleyways he vaulted as he sprinted across the darkened city. He moved on autopilot. Eyes skimming the route for danger or civilians, body compensating for changes in terrain, but otherwise absorbed in his thoughts.

This midnight meeting with Baxter Stockman was ill advised and he knew it. But there was a chance, just a chance, the bait in the trap was real. If this experimental potion could stabilize his sister, it would be worth it.

The thought of the suffering girl made him clench his jaw. Morgan was Raphael's mate and four months pregnant with his child. She was also only half human though she didn't know it until recently. The unusual combination of her mixed heritage and Raph's had made the pregnancy... complicated. He snorted at his own mental understatement.

_It's way passed complicated. It's deadly._

Donatello spent day and night in the lab, trying to keep on top of her condition, but so far he had been unable to identify the reason for her fluctuating situation, much less balance it. They were reaching a frightening point. Very soon a decision would have to be made that none of them wanted to consider.

Even he, the king of hard decisions, was having trouble facing this one.

_Sentence my little niece or nephew to death or continue to risk Morgan? How does one choose one precious life over another?_

The situation was dividing his family.

When word of Baxter's new invention filtered down to them, a stabilizer based on Hargrove's evil silver serum which might counterbalance the physical changes she was experiencing, it seemed pretty damn convenient. Morgan insisted it had to be a con and they all agreed not to investigate.

_But my family is in agony!_

Leonardo clenched his fist. He would leave no stone unturned in finding a treatment which might allow them to escape this impossible decision.

He slowed his pace. Buildings were thinning out as he approached the designated meeting place. He switched back to full tactical alert in the space of a heartbeat. Wiping away a bead of sweat from the back of his head before it could join the others running down his neck into his shell, Leonardo surveyed the open area of the derelict rooftop in front of him. Testing the air with all his senses.

July in the city was usually sweltering, but this season the temperatures were outrageous. Even with the sun long down, it was hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement. The extreme heat made exerting himself perilous, but he pushed through it.

Normally, this would be a task for the whole team. Engaging on his own doubled the risk, but he would not deprive Morgan of her mate in this time of need, nor her doctor. And he wasn't going to tempt his over exuberant, youngest brother with heat stroke. So he was here alone.

_About to stick my neck out and see who tries to chop my head off._

With a heavy sigh, he drew his katanas and stood from his concealment, stepping forward into the dappled moonlight.

* * *

The shadow stirred irritably, briefly separating from the cover of the surrounding darkness and stretching before settling back to its accustomed position.

Anyone staring out the windows of the neighboring skyscrapers might have glimpsed it on top of the old tenement at the edge of the city; perhaps even recognized the curve of a wing. But it was unlikely at this time of night. Besides, her camouflage was almost perfect. Her sleep hadn't been disturbed in decades.

Deftly, she shook herself. The rapid movement sent a cloud of dust and debris bouncing down her hide to join the gravel of the rooftop. A slender head, on a long graceful neck, rose to point at the sky.

Silhouetted thus, an observer could be forgiven a moment of panic, for her motion revealed far more of her previously concealed form. An outline they might even have a name for.

_Dragon._

The moon was full and as she cast her gaze to the heavens to read the skies, her eyes reflected the light, turning the normally golden slitted iris a brilliant silver and touching the cornucopia shaped horns atop her head with glistening wonder.

The alignment of the stars proclaimed many years had passed since her last waking. So many, in fact, the millennium had come and gone without her notice. She snorted. Wisps of steam drifted from her nostrils as she voiced her disgruntlement.

Not that she put much stock in the passing of years. She was alone, her purpose long negated. Not a single member of her clan remained alive so her existence was... meaningless.

Perhaps that was the reason for her drift into memory.

_Why live in this drab reality when I can dream instead of a time when I was vital?_

Saving Yoshi, over four hundred years ago, had been her most accomplished moment as a Guardian. That single act, though it pierced her heart, ensured the endurance of the clan down through the centuries... until now.

When her little prince died, time and grief weighed heavily upon her. She retreated, more and more, to the comfort of sleep, deep in her underground lair. After all, the family was secure and the Council would awaken her if there ever again were cause.

But as she rested, centuries passed.

Over time, the Council of Eight, a congress of the immortal races, disbanded as the balance of power shifted in favor of mortals. Humans increased in number and became the majority among the sentient species. Despite their short lives, they no longer needed special protections. Numerous nations withdrew altogether, fearing their growth; isolating themselves in separate planes with magic or science.

Guardians of all types were left without guidance, scattered to the winds. Many of them simply faded into time, unable to face eternity without a purpose. Alexiandretta's purpose did not wain. The Hamato line was protected, not for population, but for prophecy. Their blood was required to defend more than humanity. It was destined to save the world.

Regardless, her sleep became restless, sensing the decline of her fellows. Still, she did not awaken.

_Not until danger once again threatened my clan's very existence._

Twenty-nine years ago, if her count of the stars tonight was correct, the last remaining member of the bloodline woke her with a terrible shout. Agony from his heart and mind tore her from her long slumber and threw her across the countryside as fast as her wings and the wind would carry her.

_I was too late._

By the time she arrived, he had fled their homeland, leaving the burned out remains of his dwelling to tell the tragic tale of his piercing call. The scent of death made her weep at her tardiness, for the bodies of a woman and a child of the clan lay among the ashes.

_I failed to protect those given unto my care._

And to lose them to fire, an element she could control with a thought... was a doubly hard blow.

Mournfully, she followed her clansman beyond the sea, but before she could locate him in this bustling metropolis, he vanished. She searched the island and all the surrounding territories to no avail, his trail simply ended in the center of the city.

She looked for him for years, struggling with the language and cultures of a foreign land. After a time, there was nothing more to be done. She mourned her clan as lost and settled alone on this rooftop to brood and grieve. Not only for her loss but for the world's.

_Yet, something awakened me tonight._

An old prayer, circling through her mind and heart. An unselfish plea for aid and protection which drew her back to consciousness despite her drowsy reluctance. A tug on the strings of her bond.

Concentrating, she sought its source.

She did hear something nearby, but this was physical, not magical. The distinct ringing tone of metal on metal, drawing closer to her position. Curious, she folded her wings and flattened herself on the roofline, stretching her neck to peer out. Her perch was fairly tall and offered a decent view of her surroundings.

A flurry of motion attracted her gaze as dark bipedal silhouettes darted among the deeper shadows on the top of an abandoned warehouse several buildings over.

For a brief moment, her memory flared and she saw two images overlaid. However, the bustling hive of activity from the textile manufacturing plant which occupied this space before her nap was long gone. Now, it was simply a five-story death-trap nearing collapse.

_Which doesn't explain why a group of humans all clothed identically are fighting upon it. But humans do such odd things..._

Intrigued, she watched them advance with a discipline which evoked memories of her homeland, the old ways. These strange mortals fought with ancient weapons. Her strategic mind cataloged them absently: longbow and arrows; katana; tanto knives; shuriken; throwing knives and more. Weapons which had not seen warfare for many long years.

Yet these were made new by modern design. Fashioned of state-of-the-art materials: carbon fiber; synthetic feathers; and rods of translucent aluminum, the warriors wielded them with a method as old as time. They slowly drove their quarry from a stronger position in the heart of the building to a blind edge where it would have no retreat.

She admired the maneuver, executed so smoothly as to leave the target no choices. Once focused on the prey, however, Alexiandretta's interest disappeared into fury. What she saw ignited the fire in her belly and she hissed. A jet of blue flame escaped her jaws and lit up the night.

Their victim was a kappa, a river child of the ancient world.

Surprisingly, he restricted his battle to the physical plane, wielding twin swords against the swarm of humanity with a grace which proclaimed them far more than mere weapons of convenience.

He mastered the complex blades long ago.

In all her long years, she never met a kappa or, truly, any y _ō_ kai who could bear the touch of steel. Entranced by his finesse and unique ability, she watched as he danced with deadly beauty amongst his foes. He fought majestically, with precision, but he was tired and outnumbered. They held the stronger position.

_Why doesn't he use the water? None live here who will challenge him for it._

The energy of the flowing river below glowed powerfully, left untapped for decades. Even she, a master of air and fire, could sense its strength. Perhaps he didn't know there were no locals to contend against. Whatever the case, she would not allow another immortal of the ancient race to perish in front of her.

As he faltered, she raised herself and launched off the skyscraper with a defiant cry. Her wings snapped open with a crack like thunder. All eyes turned in her direction at the unexpected sounds, but they did not see her. With a thought, her scales turned matte black and she disappeared among the velvet and diamonds of the night sky, leaving nothing but her piercing cry and sweeping shadow behind.

_:Ally! Ally coming from the rear!:_

She projected the thought to the kappa as hard as she could, preparing to swoop low upon his attackers. An indistinct nightmare, she rose from the darkness behind him, spewing smoke, and cruised directly over his head.

She picked off an enemy with a perfectly timed burst of fire. Thrilled, she let out a happy shriek as the flame found its target.

After such a long, restless period of sleep, she may have gotten a little carried away. Obviously, the kappa was not prepared for her presence. Despite her warning, the low flying pass distracted him.

He ducked and twisted to defend against her as she skimmed overhead, the flutter of his blue mask betraying the path of his gaze. One of the warriors took advantage of the distraction and got in a lucky blow.

The snap of a bo colliding with the side of his head made her shriek again, this time in righteous indignation. She laid down a swath of flames between them, watching the humans jump away as the kappa collapsed.

She gazed at him askance. The river child would not appreciate the heat of her fire, but it was the only immediate weapon she had. Or was it? On her next pass, she sank low over the river and opened her jaws, scooping gallons of water into her second stomach.

The liquid tasted vial and she finally understood. The human's pollution kept him from using its potential. No matter, she would bring the pure essence of his element to him. She pumped her wings hard, dragging her belly full to the roof and boiling it internally for his resurrection.

She hovered over the kappa and drew in a deep breath, eyeing the distance between him and the attackers. Then she hissed, forcing fire, water, and wind from her mouth at the same moment. The elements combined into superheated steam which scorched the humans and forced them back but cooled in time to coat the ancient one with the moisture he required to recharge.

She beat the still air with iridescent wings, defending him as she waited for him to spring up. But for some reason, it didn't work. He lay motionless, dripping and limp where he had fallen. With a cry of frustration, she snaked a figure eight overhead, tilting her head in irritation.

_Nothing is going as it should!_

The attacking humans were tenacious and they did not flee from her. Instead, they adjusted their tactics and began to attack, as if her monstrous appearance were commonplace.

_What can I do to drive them off?_

Flaming them risked injury to the unconscious kappa. And she couldn't guess at his condition while she was dodging arrows and throwing knives. Abruptly, she lost all joy in the battle. She was done playing.

_Time to end this._

She climbed directly above them until she was a mere dot against the moon, then threw herself back towards the Earth. She folded her wings, reinforced her armored chest plates, and punched a hole through the weakened top of the warehouse using her own body.

The screams as the humans fell around her were almost lyrical. She gave a toothy smile.

Unfortunately, the building was more unstable than she anticipated. The whole roof was collapsing into the main hall and she dodged several massive chunks of concrete. She had to escape or risk following the mortals to the darkness below.

With two mighty strokes of her wings, she rose out of the growing hole, only to see the form of the blue-masked kappa slip over the edge.

Hissing a curse, she shifted shape in mid-air, knowing there was no way she could catch him in her talons without causing him further harm. In one smooth motion, she dove after his plummeting body.

_He is lucky I am not decades old, but centuries._

The young could not perform such a procedure in the sky, needing all their concentration for the change. But to her, this form was familiar, easily attained. Though still winged, it was mostly bipedal. Human-shaped, it was dexterous and maneuverable, so even though the kappa had a head start, she reached him in time to loop her arms under his shoulders and pull up.

She groaned as she fought the momentum of his fall; wings straining as muscles protested the extra weight in her smaller form. In the end, gravity won. The drag was too much for her to compensate for completely. Together they crashed to the floor, tumbling over one another in a heap of arms, legs, shell, and wings.

As they slid to a stop, she let out a growl; distinctly humanoid, frustrated, and feminine as she bent awkwardly to untangled their extremities. When she was finally free, she leaned over the kappa to assess him up close.

_Something isn't right._

He was green, scaled, and certainly based on a water form. He possessed the lustrous shell of a terrapin but his aura felt earthy. He lost his katanas in the fall, but he carried other steel implements on his person without seeming harm. And when she switched to her second sight to gauge his level of water mastery, she was unsettled to find he had no element at all.

Confusion furrowed her brow.

_Can this...man-turtle, possibly be mortal?_

It was a strange thought. She hadn't been asleep that long, at least, not this time.

_Could this amazingly evolved creature have developed naturally in thirty years?_

She didn't think so, but there was another possibility. Some y _ō_ kai were the creation of other beings. He might be a physical guard for a more powerful demon. Such oni rarely had good intentions toward humans. Perhaps she had erred in protecting this one.

She leaned in closer, placing a hand on his plated chest and inhaling to see if she could detect another's presence upon him.

Her pupils turned to slits in her golden eyes as she rapidly drew back; shaken to the core. Woven in with his own unique essence was an aroma forever seared into her memory. The scent of the last remaining member of her clan. Though it had altered slightly, it was still unmistakable to his Guardian.

This strange half-being interacted with her reason for existence recently.

She pressed a hand to her chest as her heart beat wildly for the first time in almost thirty years. Her breathing sped and her pulse raced out of control.

_He's alive? Is it possible I still have a purpose?_

She quickly bent to check the life signs of the turtle, impatient for him to wake to tell her what she wished to know. But she was in for a final shock. As she reached for him, he groaned and opened his eyes, gazing directly into hers.

The world around her stilled and her breath stopped in her throat, for staring out at her were Yoshi's incredible, stormy, beautiful, blue-grey eyes.


	3. A Matter of Perception

"Yoshi?"

The breathless whisper ended with a squeak. It was female, full of disbelief and hope. Certainly not the rough demand Leonardo expected from a Foot soldier. And his captor's choice of name surprised him. Usually, they demanded his Master, the rat, or Splinter.

_Very few remember my father was once called Yoshi._

Regardless, he was not about to answer any questions concerning his family. No matter how they threatened him. "I will not... give them up," he panted through his pain. "Even if you... kill me."

The sound of his blood pounding harshly reverberated through his head. A sledgehammer causing paroxysms of agony and nausea whenever he tried to move. His vision blurred and his skin stung from multiple abrasions. Though he concentrated, pushing away the pain, he couldn't determine who held him.

Baxter Stockman had never appeared and there was no sign of the miracle serum, if it ever existed. The moment Leo showed his face a torrent of Foot soldiers poured out and surrounded him.

For once, they were not attempting to capture, but to kill. He fought grimly against the hoard, but eventually, the heat and overwhelming numbers took their toll.

_I failed. Risked myself for nothing. But this was always a possible outcome. I had to know._

Just as he was flagging, a new opponent appeared in the night sky. Before he could identify the flying form, the Foot knocked him out. Now, he assumed the worst. He was in enemy hands, but depending on the particular foe, he might have an advantage.

_This woman, who might she be?_

He squinted, trying to get his eyes to focus properly. All he discerned was a slim silhouette, dark straight hair, and a large threatening mass which hovered over her shoulder.

_Maybe an inquisitor? She didn't sound intimidating._

Moving a hand ever so slowly, he reached for the tanto knife hidden in his sash, seeking to anticipate her next ploy. She may have him down, but he still had some surprises up his shell. If she thought he was going to give up because he was wounded, she was mistaken.

He tracked her hazy form constantly, but didn't even see her shift before a gentle hand rested over his; arresting his try for the knife.

_Is she so fast? Or is my head hurt worse than I imagined?_

"Gomennasai," she said with a motion he belatedly realized must be a reverent little half bow. "Forgive me. You I mistook for another. For further violence there is no need. No harm will I give."

Her words and the apology shocked him. How many green mutants could this woman possibly know to mistake him for another? He supposed a few, if she were close enough to the Shredder to witness certain parts of his evil plans.

_But is she even a member of the Foot?_

None of them ever spoke to him civilly before, let alone apologized. Especially not in Japanese.

He could only think of one person she might be. She certainly never expressed regret for injuring him before, but if she were Karai, he was safe for the moment. The Foot's second-in-command may enjoy besting him, but she had never gone so far as to actually endanger his life. Even though he had almost taken hers.

"Karai?" he asked, in a voice tinged with confusion. "Is this some sort of game? Did you call off your men?"

Again, he attempted to clear his vision blinking rapidly, but his eyes stubbornly refused to function. Her expression remained indistinct and his head redoubled its pounding.

"Karai, I am not," the woman said. "Dead are the warriors. Worse they deserved for hunting you, but there was no time justice to deliver. Death will have to suffice."

Leonardo stiffened under her hand. From the venom in her tone, this was not anyone associated with the Oroku clan. Besides, her accent was deeper, richer than Karai's, and older. The dialect was quite distinct and... familiar, but he couldn't place from where.

"You killed them?" he asked in disbelief. "Who are you?" His abrupt question was a barked demand he hoped would startle the truth from the woman.

"A friend."

"Your name?" he commanded.

The more she spoke, the more convinced he became they had met somewhere before.

"Many have I," she replied with a vague motion of her shoulders. "Alexis you may address me."

Leo struggled to sit up and she withdrew her hand. He needed to be on stronger negotiating ground if he was to press her for answers. It was hard to be imposing from his back.

_Where did you come from? How much did you see? You took out over thirty trained ninjas? Why is your English so archaic? And why aren't you screaming at me?_

The questions rattled inside his head, but what came out of his mouth was a small groan as white hot agony shot up his neck. Pain burst through his mental blocks, temporarily blinding him. Gingerly, he raised a hand to his temple.

"Be still, kudasai," Alexis said, pushing him back to a prone position. "Received you a grave blow to the head and fell a great distance. Gradually recover you must."

_'Please?' Who IS this woman?_

There was no panic about his appearance or even any mention of it. She showed no hesitation about touching him. Nor had she freaked out about the Foot, though the bodies of the dead surrounded them. Her responses were unusual, confusing. He wished his head would stop hurting so he might learn more about her.

Alexis left his blurred sight, rummaged around nearby, and came back with a roll of cloth. She tucked her homemade pillow under his neck to keep his head aligned and instantly his pain receded to more manageable levels.

"Alexis," he protested as she tried to make him comfortable. "Who is with you? What happened? Where are we?"

This polite young woman did not exhibit the personality of a cold-blooded killer. But he didn't dare relax his guard, not with that shadow looming over her periodically.

"Only one I am," she said.

Her words, however strange, held the ring of truth. But, if she was alone, what cast the ominous gloom? He still couldn't tell. When he attempted to rise again, she rested a hand on his shoulder, pressing lightly. It seemed like a lead weight.

"Inside the building we are," she said. "In dropped the roof. Fell all."

The structure was unstable. Leonardo remembered it swaying under his feet during the brawl and enormous relief swept through him. The Foot ninjas died in the collapse, not from anything this woman did. Only her broken English made the accidental situation sound ominous.

_She is simply a good samaritan with an... interesting grasp of the language._

He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. He couldn't afford to stay here. Police and emergency workers would arrive soon to inspect the factory. Unless the Foot cleaned up, they were going to find a bunch of dead bodies. Men in costumes which matched the ones from the so-called 'gang war' several months ago.

Also, there was a possible threat from whatever the flying monster had been. He wanted to ask the woman if she had seen it, but what would he say?

_Hey, Alexis, you notice anything odd tonight? You know, other than a six-foot talking turtle and a large group of identically dressed ninjas?_

He dismissed the thought. People were the more pressing threat and a quick internal inventory said he was going to need assistance disappearing. He opened his eyes with a reluctant decision. He needed to trust this woman a little further.

"Alexis," he said. "There will be a crowd soon. I can't be here when they arrive, but I can't leave on my own. Will you help me?"

"But a doctor you need," she said with a frustrated shake of her head.

"I'll have to get treatment somewhere else," he answered in a gentle tone. "I am... unusual. Others will not be as accepting of my... differences. I may scare them unnecessarily. They might cage me. Do you understand?"

He had no wish to frighten her, but it seemed odd he had to point out his mutation.

A small growl met his statement and he started at the aggressive sound. Obviously, she didn't like the idea of him being confined. That was a good sign, but it was hard to tell what else she might be thinking.

"Alexis, please?" he asked again in the most persuasive voice he could summon.

She nodded. "What need you of me?"

He closed his eyes in relief.

"Can you find something I can use as a support? A crutch? My vision's a bit blurry," he admitted.

She moved away, muttering low in Japanese. He couldn't make out all the words. Something about the stubbornness of men and the treating of injuries. She poked around in the nearby ruins and he kept his eyes closed, concentrating on his other senses. Trying to tune out her digging and listen for any small sounds to alert him of other dangers.

"NO!"

The sharp exclamation provoked an instant reaction. Leonardo rolled to his feet and pulled his knife. He twisted, falling to one knee as dizziness and white spots overcame him.

_Has she run into an enemy? One who was merely knocked out by the fall? Or has the flying beast returned?_

He tightened his grip on the blade and braced himself for a fight, though he wasn't going to be able to do much more than delay a pursuer. Still, he would give everything he had to defend a civilian. Especially one who treated him so conscientiously.

Seconds later, her slim form came pelting into his limited view.

"Beware!" she cried, heading toward him at speed. "Counting down! Explosive!”

For a split second he was confused, then his mind processed her frightened words.

_A bomb? They must have mined the building as a backup plan. She has to leave._

"Alexis, run!" he yelled. "Go! Get as far away as you can!"

The girl _was_ running, but not towards an exit. She dashed straight at him and showed no signs of changing course.

_She must be so frightened, confused. She doesn't understand!_

"Nigenasai!" he called his instruction again in Japanese.

The next moment, she collided with him, knocking them both to the floor. Her arms swept around him, wrapping them together in some sort of large flexible cloth. Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly protect them from the devastation to come.

Desperately, he struggled in her grasp, trying to roll free so she could rethink her actions and escape without him. When that didn't work, he lifted her bodily, locking his forearms under her rear and rising to his knees. Determined to carry her to safety despite his wounds and the tangle of the blanket.

A loud beep sounded as the countdown reached its end.

_Out of time._

Leonardo ceased fighting, grasped her around the waist and pulled her against him. She wrapped her forearms around his neck and spread her palms across his cheeks in an almost intimate embrace.

Sadly, he touched his forehead to hers as her fine black hair cascaded around them. It twisted and writhed like a living thing in the backdraft of the explosion, becoming a silken curtain. Shielding him from the horror all around.

She was close enough to see at last. Every detail of her upturned face revealed. Her eyes arrested his thoughts. He swore they were a dark chocolate hue when he first gazed into them, but now they glowed the strangest color he had ever seen.

Not blue, brown, or amber like his brothers, nor green like April's. They weren't the bright, reptilian yellow of Leatherhead's, the intense black of his father's, or even the tri-colored hazel of the Feyian.

They were molten gold.

A deep metallic shade flecked with bronze, surrounded by thick, dark lashes. It had to be some trick of the light. A reflection of the flames, but despite the fire's glare, the emotions in them were oddly clear. Leo expected to read panic, even terror; sparking terrible guilt in his last moments. But her gaze was peaceful as she returned his intense stare.

Alexis did not fear death.

Love, deep and abiding, welled in her eyes flavored with an ancient sorrow. She bit her lip and, hypnotized, he could not look away. But it didn't matter. He did not wish to focus on the inferno roaring to life over her shoulder or the wave of superheated flame racing to end their lives.

Instead, Leonardo let himself drown in those fearless golden pools and the world fell away.

* * *

 

"Leo! Leonardo! Where are you? Can you hear me?"

The muted voice called from somewhere far off, but it was familiar. He didn't want to move. Didn't want to answer. To do so, was to acknowledge he was still in the land of the living. He shouldn't be.

The voice cried out again and the desperation in it guilted him into action. He really ought to respond. He twitched and everything hurt to a degree he hadn't experienced since he first began training. His muscles were exhausted. Stressed from the battle and the desperate tension of bracing for the blast. His head still ached and his eyes did not answer his commands to open. His shell throbbed.

_Probably a crack somewhere. It feels odd, loose._

His skin stung but, amazingly, wasn't burned, though he felt the heat from the fiery debris still burning nearby.

"Leonardo!"

The shout was closer now. Loud enough he recognized Donatello over the fierce ringing in his ears. He tried to answer, despite the pain, but inhaled a mouthful of dust and ash. Coughing, he spasmed, trying to expel the unexpected mess. His uncontrolled movements sent gravel cascading around him with a clatter and attracted Donnie's attention.

"Guys! Over here!"

His brother's powerful hands unerringly found the least injured parts of his body and supported him as he hacked and spat, trying to catch his breath. While he recentered himself, the others slid to a stop in the rubble beside him.

"Shell," Raphael's deep voice cursed and seconds later a small piece of damp fabric wiped gently over his lips. "Breathe for me, bro. Nice an' slow."

"Hold still a sec," Donnie murmured and ran his hands expertly over Leo's exposed neck, the back of his head, and down his arms.

"Is he safe to move?" Michelangelo asked in a hushed whisper. "It's getting lighter and emergency services are arriving."

Don's careful fingers took his pulse on a remarkably uninjured wrist. "I don't know how, but he's stable enough, so let's go. Raph, you got him? Don't forget to support his neck!"

Leonardo groaned as the large red-banded turtle lifted him. Every movement hurt so bad he wanted to scream, but he had no energy left for such an exercise.

"We'll take him back in the Slider," Donnie said. "it's not too far. Mikey, call ahead. Let Splinter and Morgan know we're coming in hot. Father can set up the surgery, but I don't want her in there when we arrive. It'll be too stressful."

_Morgan is going to freak. She told me not to go._

His brother's mate loved them to death and was extremely protective of them all. Whether that was an offshoot of her Feyian heritage or her own sweet personality was still up for debate, but he hated to expose her to this. She was already going through hell and he didn't need to add to her burdens. But as Raphael carried him, it wasn't Morgan's concerned features which sprang to life behind his tightly shut lids.

Dark hair swirled around sharp cheekbones. Wispy, black bangs covered a high forehead. Slim lips compressed in determination and startlingly gold, almond shaped eyes stared into his soul. A lithe, firm form pressed against his plastron and phantom arms, wiry and strong, tackled him to the floor.

_Alexis._

The name echoed in his head as he realized those vibrant golden orbs had closed forever. Now he screamed, survivor's guilt rolling through his thoughts. Yet, the sound remained trapped inside his skull.

_I didn't even trust her with my name, but she gave me her life._

Choked with sorrow, he wanted to ask if there was anything left. Bones, a lock of hair, something, but he couldn't speak. His throat closed against the unbearable emotional turmoil.

_She should have lived, not me!_

But what if she had? Was she lying there, choking on her last breath as his brothers carted him away? Muscles burning with the effort, he raised his hands and formed a few shaky gestures in Raphael's face. Hand signals they used in stealth situations.

Girl, near me?

Raph's forward motion stopped abruptly and he swung around to survey the wreckage with a critical eye. His grip tightened ever so slightly and when he spoke, his voice was low. Gruff, but surprisingly gentle.

"Nothing human survived that, Leo."

_As I thought..._

Moisture gathered in his eyes and he let it escape; leaving hot, wet trails down his face. Tears were all he had left, so he offered them freely. Leonardo wept. Not for his own pain, but for the young woman he barely knew. One who gave everything to save him.


	4. The Other Side

Intense blue-grey eyes blazed with terrible urgency as they met hers and Alexis' heart clenched in old grief. Her little prince may not have been reincarnated as the protector he always wished to be, but somehow his courageous blood flowed through this one's veins.

She sensed the bond now she was closer to him. In fact, she didn't know how she missed it to begin with. The pull of her oath insisting she protect and save was a powerful force.

_He is my clan. Distant child of my lamented Yoshi._

The countdown showed only seconds remaining, so there was no chance to wonder how such a thing had come to pass, nor to remove him from the danger.

She pounced, forcing him to the ground and enfolding him in her wings. She ignored his violent protests as he tried to roll free. He begged her to leave, to abandon him and save herself. When she did not, he surged to his knees with a powerful reserve of energy, lifting her from her feet.

_He is trying to rescue me?_

She wished there was time to reassure him but the final alarm sounded. Her gaze locked again with his as his grip shifted to hold her close. Terror and agony screamed at her from those torrid blue depths, but he did not fear for his own life. He mourned for her.

_Father Sky!_

Alexis reeled as lightning crawled across her skin. Her heart skipped a beat then came alive, pounding faster than before. No one ever looked at her that way. Like the world would be forever grey without her in it. Even little Yoshi's hero worship hadn't touched her so deeply.

All her life, she had been a tool of the fates. Passionate about her duty, but under no illusions, she could not easily be replaced by one of a dozen other creatures. Yet, this soul grieved her loss after mere moments in her presence.

Her eyes flared, the chocolate mask melting away, as the unfamiliar feeling drove her to soothe his distress. In that unthinking moment, she allowed him something she swore never to reveal again; a glimpse of her soul.

All the love she held for the clan throughout the ages surfaced from deep inside, welling up to wrap him in warmth and comfort. Yet, she could not stare into such impossibly familiar features without pain. Her heart, scarred by time and loss, twisted with acute anguish.

_:Just close your eyes:_

She couldn't tell which of them originated the thought, but the tempest raging within him calmed and his slid shut as the conflagration swept over them.

Alexis shifted tender skin for armoured scales and opened her mind. The scorching heat tried to steal their breath and burn them alive, but flames were no match for her. Her eyes flared again as she parted the blaze, protecting the precious life in her arms.

Unfortunately, the pure physical force of the blast was beyond her control, though she did her best to cushion the blow. She called the wind, drawing a rush of air inward to counterbalance the shockwave.

Her efforts kept the surrounding buildings intact, protecting hundreds of innocent human lives, but did little to shield them from the incredible violence of the detonation. It hurled them clean through the external cinder block wall into the street.

She cried out, clenching her teeth as ribs cracked under the impact. Infinitesimal fragments of wood and iron battered against her scales. Some so lethal they penetrated even her nearly impervious natural protection. Ten-thousand spiny needles digging into the flesh beneath.

As the entwined pair slid across the pavement, a deep purple liquid smeared across the ground.

With a tumultuous roar, the rest of the building began to tumble down. Alexis disentangled herself with a curse, staggered to her feet and half spread her wings to shelter her charge. A hail of smaller debris pelted her as the last of the structure crumbled around them.

A larger chunk of brick struck the fine webbing of her left, tearing the muscles and tendons along her back and shoulder; pinning her to the ground. She twisted under the weight, a demented snarl of pain on her lips.

With a mighty heave, she wrenched the wing free, but it remained useless; torn and dislocated. When she tried to fold it, sharp spears of agony tore through her. The once beautiful blue and purple expanse fluttered uncontrollably.

Gritting her teeth, she grasped the bend with both hands and forced it back over her shoulder. The ball locked into the socket with a jarring snap and she screamed.

The cry shimmered into a bestial shriek as she shifted back into full dragon mode and shook herself. The painful injuries remained in any form, so flying was out, but this way she could defend him with tooth, claw, and flame.

She shot a glance at the turtle to gauge his reaction to her change and did a frantic double take. Despite her protection, he lay silent and unmoving among the debris. His whole body coated in a thick combination of ash, dirt, and concrete dust.

She whimpered, a startling sound from a beast of her size, and lowered her head to nuzzle his cheek. He didn't respond, but his chest rose and fell steadily. She cocked her head, listening intently for the beat of his heart. Even several feet away she heard its strong, even rhythm. Reassured, she took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse and bent to inspect him further.

His eyes were sealed shut with ash and splashes of her blood. The blueish purple smear was unmistakable, but it wouldn't harm him. The life-blood of dragons, though rarely shed, was antiseptic and offered mild healing properties to most mortals, so she let it remain.

She sniffed him from head to toe, searching for other injuries. He was covered in small cuts, scrapes, and abrasions from his previous fight and the fall, but he didn't appear to be actively bleeding.

A small gasp interrupted her examination. With a threatening growl, she swung her head up to inspect the nearby buildings. The slightest reflection of light on water drew her searching gaze to the top of the nearest.

Motionless against the backdrop of the night sky, the girl probably thought she was invisible, but darkness and distance were no impediment to Alexis' vision. She was perfectly clear to dragon eyes, even twelve stories up. The girl was crying, her face a mask of dismay as she stared down.

_Perhaps she knows him? Is an ally?_

Their voyeur was Asian, in her late-twenties, and sported short black hair. She wore the same full-bodied suit as the corpses. Except hers had a red and black patch on the left shoulder displaying a family crest. In her fist, she clenched a detonator.

If Alexis were not so badly injured, she would have flown to intercept the kunoichi, flame on.

_Four hundred years later and they still strive to eliminate my clan?_

She crouched protectively over her charge, neck extended and showed her razor sharp teeth. If this child of Oroku was going to engage again, she wanted to know now. She hissed a challenge, clear enough even without words.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed, but she made no threatening reply. She stood, bowed low, and disappeared over the rooftop.

Alexis heaved a sigh of relief. Despite the show of strength, she was hurting and emotionally drained from the night's events. This explosion was far more powerful than any she had absorbed in the past. Technology in warfare had definitely advanced, regardless of these warriors ancient weapons.

But she wasn't going to get a moment to regroup for several others approached. Masters of stealth she could not see. But she didn't need to. Now attuned to low vibrations, she tracked their heartbeats.

_One, two, three..._

They proceeded methodically through the rubble in her direction as if following some sort of guide. They did not veer to check the bodies of the dead, or behave like mortals come upon the battle scene.

_Another wave of enemies?_

Withdrawing, she crouched in the ley of one of the larger sections of wall still standing. She hated to leave her clansman exposed, but this way she had the element of surprise. As long as he remained still, he would be overlooked as one of the fallen.

Pressing her wings flat, she gathered her strength and relit the fire in her belly. She may be grounded, but she was still a dragon. If these three intended harm, they would get one hell of a surprise. She prepared to pounce on the nearest as soon as it rounded the corner, but before she moved, it broke its ominous silence.

"Leo? Leonardo! Where are you?"

The desperation in the cry made her pause. This was someone seeking with concern, not anger. But for whom? The glow of the surrounding fires lit his skin as he turned in her direction. Green swathed in violet. She swallowed her flames and shrank back further into the shadows.

_Another turtle?_

"Leonardo!" he called again.

Her clansman shifted at the sound, inhaled ash, and began to choke. Alexis' eyes darted between him and the newcomer in indecision.

_Intervene or stay hidden?_

The decision was made for her as this turtle rushed to the fallen one's side and supported him expertly.

"Guys! Over here!"

Two others pelted over and Alexis blinked rapidly in shock. They were all turtles. She watched anxiously, blending her scales to match the debris around her, as the first continued to probe her clansman for injuries. The second wet a strip of cloth from a canteen and wiped his face with gentle motions. Their movements were hurried but sure as if they encountered such uncertain circumstances before, yet their worry was readily apparent.

Each wore a different colored mask and carried their personal preference in weaponry, but they moved in the same graceful, deadly manner her warrior displayed before the fall.

A tug of recognition from her bond startled her. Though not as powerful as the one that drew her to the warrior's side, the pull was still significant enough to warrant her attention. These newcomers were also direct descendants of the line.

_Family! They are... brothers?_

Elation swelled inside her, erasing years of regret and loneliness in an instant. She barely suppressed the urge to call her joy to the stars and leap out to embrace them. They did not know her, possibly not even _of_ her, and might respond savagely when one of them was injured.

When they gathered the fallen Leonardo and disappeared down a manhole into the tunnels below, she slipped away, leaving the debris and a growing crowd of humans behind. She wanted to trail them home, but she needed to recover first.

Her previous perch on top of the nearby building would be the best place to hole up, yet she couldn't return via the air. Her damaged wing and the possibility of observation in the pale light of dawn prevented it. But she could climb.

Her talons were only necessary until she gained the first level of a conveniently placed outdoor staircase on the side of the structure. The wrought iron felt warm and solid under her weight and she flowed sinuously up, panting as she reached the top to curl into her nest.

Her body throbbed and every time she shifted her wing the muscles of her back spasmed, but the pain did not quench her wonder and delight.

_Alive! My clan lives! Not one, but a whole family! I will watch over them constantly until they are numerous as the trees. I will not fail in my task again._

With such thoughts swirling in her mind, she drifted into a healing trance and closed her eyes.

* * *

"You did well, daughter."

Shocked, Karai raised her face from the deep bow she held in front of the Shredder's throne and stared hard at her adoptive father. The mission was a failure. Only one turtle succumbed to the bait and yet she managed to lose all her troops. Though the plan had not been hers and thus, technically, not the fault, this unexpected praise made her suspicious.

"Master, I failed," she protested, rising.

The Shredder chuckled darkly at her expression.

"Your men fought well. Far better than the soldier's trained under my other generals. This battle came closer to defeating one of our hated enemies than any other in the last decade."

Karai raised a skeptical brow but remained silent.

"Even the best strategy only lasts until the first blow falls, my daughter," Shredder said, "then the true test of leadership begins. This flying monster was unanticipated, but your troops did not fall back. They carried out your orders faithfully, even unto death."

Karai grimaced. She lost two of her best-trained warriors to the beast. One to its fire and one to the building collapse. Both handpicked pupils she personally trained for years. The closest thing she had to friends.

If she were a true daughter of Oroku, she supposed the loss would make her more bitterly disposed toward the turtles, but she knew too much about the world. Leonardo was not responsible for the rampaging of a beast. Even if he were, it was a kill or be killed situation.

"You were wise, my child, to detonate the building when you did. I was uncertain of your commitment, for you were lenient with this enemy in the past. But tonight you completed your mission without hesitation. Though Leonardo and the beast did not perish, I am still pleased."

Karai suppressed a shudder that would give lie to her actions, keeping her expression blank and nodding her acceptance. She could not afford her father dwelling on her motivations, but she only followed through with the explosion because she believed Leonardo already dead. The blow to the head, along with the unconscious, multi-storey fall seemed inescapable. And the blast a fitting vengeance on the beast which caused them.

Her heart almost stopped when they burst through the wall and the creature no longer resembled an animal but a woman; albeit a winged one. One who protected the still form of Leonardo at great cost. When she bent to revive him, Karai abruptly realized her mistake.

Somehow, Leo survived the fall. With the detonation, she had quite probably killed him herself. Tears blurred her vision. When they cleared, the woman was transforming back into the beast. Lit by the fires, the form appearing before her was unmistakable. A dragon. This beast-woman was no random mutant, but a legend. A myth ripped from the pages of ancient history.

It was so unbelievable, she left the description out of her account. All she reported was a large flying monster and Leonardo's injuries. She also refused to relate the dragon's recognition; or her challenge. They would only serve to fuel her father's vendetta.

But, since she was not in trouble over the carnage, maybe now was the time to present her doubts about his new advisors and their plan.

"I am not certain, Master, of the wisdom of using explosives in our endeavours," Karai said. "Or perhaps I should say I am uncertain of the wisdom of those proposing its use. Samantha Ryan has already proven herself capable of betrayal. And Julia, while intelligent, is a complete unknown."

"Betrayal is only accomplished where there is trust," Shredder said. "Do not form these bonds with your temporary allies, my child, and you will not suffer. Seek only to understand their impulses. Both lost a great deal to our enemies. Use this to guide them towards our purpose and let your own experience judge their competence. For now, they lend a fresh perspective to our war. Let us consider their options."

Karai gave a resigned bow of her head.

"Yes, father."

* * *

"I don't understand it," Donatello said for the third time as he cleaned up in the work sink. His brothers had seldom seen him so flummoxed.

"Just be grateful he isn't worse off," Michelangelo said.

"Why, what's wrong wit' him?" Raphael's gruff voice floated back to them from the front of the lab.

"Not too much," Donnie answered as the hot-head approached. "He's got a concussion and two thin cracks in the lower portion of his shell. Aside from that, a few shallow scrapes, some abrasions, and lots of bruising. I'll have to keep him under observation for a few days, and he'll be sore, but he's been through worse."

"You sure?" Raph asked. "He was covered in some sorta purple slime and couldn't even talk out there on the field. "

"That's just it," Donatello said, "there isn't a major wound on him. He shouldn't have escaped the explosion so intact. But I guess we won't know what happened until he wakes up."

"So you're upset cause he ain't more banged up?" Raphael shook his head at Donnie's annoyance.

"Raph, my scan registered ten times more plastic explosive residue there than at the site of the blast that caught you last spring. You were on the edge and you're still recovering. Leo was surrounded. Even taking our mutated strength into account, he ought to have broken bones, burned skin, shrapnel embedded in his shell, and smoke in his lungs. Any of those would be life threatening, but none are present."

"He like, had a guardian angel, dude!" Mikey said.

Donnie shot him a skeptical glance. "It isn't merely Leo's condition that's odd. It's the other buildings..."

"What about them?"

"The shock wave should have demolished them. I'm running some simulations, but unless my grasp of physics is completely wrong, at least two of them should have collapsed and others lost all their windows to such a powerful blast."

Raphael frowned and gestured to his brother lying on the table in concern. "You sure there's nothing internal?"

"I am."

Morgan's quiet certainty put an end to the question. Her unique talent for discerning and pinpointing injury was unmatched. One sniff of the patient and some focused concentration told her everything there was to know about them. It was a valuable gift of her Feyian heritage. One which compensated somewhat for her lack of normal eyesight.

"Sweetheart," Raphael jumped to the petite brunette's side, only now realizing his mate slipped by him to assess Leonardo. "You didn't need to do that. Donnie's got things under control."

She wasn't supposed to be in here, or using her gift. Every time she was under strain, her condition got worse.

Raph gazed at her worriedly, seeking the tremors which heralded the onset of another devastating attack, but for once, she seemed stable. She turned luminous eyes on him, still glistening from her earlier tears and he flinched.

Dark circles surrounded them and her face was so pale he could almost see the veins underneath. Her collar bones protruded and she was beginning to look skeletal despite the fact Mikey was fortifying her food with vitamins and protein powder.

"Yes, I did. He went out there for me. For us," she said, laying a hand on her belly. "And he almost didn't come home."

"He snuck out alone, like an idiot, after we all decided not to," Raphael said with a rumble. "An' if you hadn't told us ya couldn't sense him in the lair anymore, we wouldn't have even known to go after him. You got nothin' to feel bad about. 'Sides, Donnie says he's gonna be fine."

Raph shot a sharp glare at Don to back him up, even though Morgan's examination revealed more than either could clearly say.

"Even the concussion shouldn't keep him down too long," Donatello said. "He'll only be in here a few days."

"Lady Luck was on our side," Mikey chimed in, taking her by the elbow. "Let's go tell Master Splinter the good news." He met Raph's eyes briefly as he led her away and returned a nod. He would keep a sharp eye on his fragile lil' sis.

When the door closed behind them, Raphael sighed. "I almost wish Leo had found something we missed. You got anything new on Morgan?"

"Not since the last scan," Don replied. "Her cells are still destabilizing. Shifting in and out of the pseudo-dimension the Feyian call Shadow. But when they emerge, most of them are destroyed. Torn apart for reasons I can't determine. I haven't figured out the cause, I'm only seeing the effect."

"Her brother find out anything from the Feyian doctors?"

Donatello snorted in disgust. "Only that all half-breeds are believed to be sterile. Brenellean's having a hard time getting serious answers about the process. Culturally, pregnancy is a women's secret for the Feyian. Some kind of divine right males aren't supposed to take an interest in, so no one's really talking."

"Shell, Donnie. I'm not sure I can take much more of this. She's fading away right in fronta me."

"I'm doing everything I can, Raph, but each event is destroying more of her cells. Soon they'll be ones she can't restore, even with her healing talent and your blood as a catalyst. She's running out of raw material. She can't replace the tissue fast enough. As much as I hate to bring it up again, you need to be thinking–"

"Don't." Raph cut him off with a glare that could melt steel and his face went ashen.

"What if it's the only way to save her?"

"Even if I could contemplate... not having our child, she can't. An' she'd never forgive me if I did. Or you. Either way, it will kill her."


	5. Unexpected

"What the hell did ya think you were doing?"

Raphael's eyes flashed and his muscles flexed with the need for physical release.

Considering Leonardo only just woke after two days of unconsciousness and lay flat on his plastron in the lab's designated sick bed, the desired target was not going to be available anytime soon.

"You knew it was a trap before ya went in! There ain't nothin' a two-bit hack like Baxter could create that Donnie couldn't make a thousand times better!" he shouted, stomping up and down. "But oh no. Our great leader had to risk it anyway."

Raph stopped in front of him. His piercing eyes bored holes into Leonardo's own as Donatello attempted to ignore their argument and seal the hairline cracks in his shell.

_What is he searching for? Signs of self-destruction? Does he not know me at all? I DID it so we wouldn't be second guessing ourselves later._

"Damn it, Fearless!" Raphael yelled. "Did you even think about what would happen if ya didn't survive? " He rubbed a hand over his scalp and face. "An' what about Morgan? She panicked when she figured out what you'd done. She hasn't slept for two days, waitin' for you to wake up."

"Cool it, Raph," Donatello interrupted, "Yelling isn't going to make him heal any faster. And you need to dial the anger back a few notches. Morgan doesn't need you adding to her stress."

The sharp reminder made the hot-head let out a small groan. Leo's eyes softened. Morgan's 'condition' scared Raphael to death.

"Go ahead and let her in, Don," Leonardo said. "She'll worry less if she knows I'm up."

"She already knows you're fine," Raph grumbled. "She pinged ya after all. You think she let Donnie wrap ya up without taken' a peek inside?"

Leo winced. He couldn't have stopped her from using her talent, but he felt guilty for provoking her into it. The same way he held himself responsible for Alexis' death.

The thought of the dark haired girl's sacrifice almost undid him, but he couldn't fall apart. Not in front of the others. There would be time for regret and self-condemnation later. He locked the guilt away with his pain and met his brother's fierce gaze, tilting his head as Morgan's light footsteps announced her arrival.

"Knowing something and feeling it are often two very different things," he said.

Raphael smothered an angry retort as the Feyian entered the room.

"Leo?" Morgan's voice pitched high as if she didn't quite believe he was alright, even though her own talent confirmed it.

Leonardo swiftly sat up, ignoring Don's protest. Suppressing a twinge of pain from his shell, he stretched out a hand as she drifted to his side. He lifted her chin with a finger, staring into her eyes so she would feel his sincerity.

"I'm ok, Morgan. Thank you for sending the guys. I needed their help to get home."

She threw her arms around him violently, hugging him awkwardly with the table and her growing belly in the way. Her hands gripped the edges of his shell tight with a desperation he didn't understand.

"I could feel it," she whispered for his ears only. "For one moment, you gave up. I thought they were too late."

Leonardo closed his eyes against the suppressed agony in her voice. Despite the ache of bruised muscles, he leaned down and returned her embrace tenderly. He'd taken a calculated risk in springing the trap—considered the fact he might not make it home.

_But I didn't realize she would experience my death._

Morgan's aural sense was finely honed. When they first met, she could locate them a few blocks away, with Raphael's presence being the strongest. Since the pregnancy, her sensory range expanded. Now she could reach several miles for them all.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

She pulled away with a tremulous smile.

"At least now we don't have to wonder if there was a cure we didn't pursue."

_She's always been sharp._

He didn't have to explain his reasons to her. Despite being blind, she saw more clearly than anyone else in the family, except perhaps his father. He smiled as she withdrew to Raphael side and took his hand, but the expression faded at his brother's hard look.

"If that's why he really went," Raph said.

"Why else?" Michelangelo asked.

"Oh, I don't know. To see if a certain someone showed? He's been pretty hard up lately."

Leo's head snapped up and Morgan rolled her eyes.

"Not this again," Mikey groaned. "You got any new material, bro?"

"Was it her?" Raphael pressed. "Was Karai there?"

Leonardo's eyes narrowed at the mention of the enemy kunoichi and a flicker of unfiltered emotion crossed his face. Frustrated longing and fierce desire battled for dominance, but he smoothed them away before anyone saw.

Surprised by his own reaction, he examined the mix of emotions.

_I haven't thought of Karai in those terms for quite some time. Long ago, she... stirred me._

_She IS attractive, one might even say sexy, but her strength of will—her passion for the blade and commitment to our art—was what drew me. She's assertive, quicksilver, ever changing, a constant challenge._

Despite those qualities, she fought for the wrong ideals. She harbored an unhealthy, twisted streak and toyed with his emotions on too many occasions for him to consider any sort of serious relationship. Whatever feelings he once held for the dark female ninja were gone.

Having clarified his thoughts, Leonardo still found himself utterly nonplussed.

While Karai's name had conjured the sensations, the long silken tresses and strangely tinted, almond shaped eyes paired with his yearning were not features of the Foot's second in command.

_They belong to a dead woman._

"Does it matter?" Leonardo asked to distract himself from the disquieting thought.

"Yes, it matters!" Raph said with a hiss. "You lose focus around her. She slinks around like a cat in heat and you can't tear your eyes away!"

"That's over," Leo snapped.

It frustrated him how much Raphael enjoyed throwing the old, misguided, desire in his face. His brother had a nasty habit of rehashing the past, even when the situation drastically changed.

"Since when?"

"Since I nearly killed her!"

The others had been tuning out. Tired and worn, this argument was merely an expression of aggression Raphael trotted out over the years whenever he felt feisty.

But the last piece of news was new. All eyes snapped to Leonardo.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to control an instant desire to retreat. He hated admitting mistakes, but... they deserved to know. Because of him, they no longer had an ally inside the Shredder's forces.

_Even one as unreliable as Karai was better than nothing._

"Say again?" Donatello prompted, trying to mask the surprise on his face.

"The night Hargrove 'killed' Morgan, before we realized her death was faked, I went out for vengeance... Alone."

Shame descended on him. All his life, he played the role of boy scout. Someone had to be the moral compass for their little group, or with their skill set or things could get rapidly out of hand.

_I've been slipping of late._

First with his overly harsh punishment of Morgan's stalker, then Hargrove. Admitting his desire for retaliation aloud felt like a cardinal sin.

The silence deafened him, pressing in with remorseless force. He searched the room for some sort of respite, but his family stared with rapt attention. Every face expressed shocked disbelief.

All except one. His sister already knew this story.

While Morgan recovered from Hargrove's traumatic capture, he confessed everything to her. At first, he only sought her forgiveness. They failed to protect her. Left her in enemy hands to suffer through days of torture. He couldn't bear it if she blamed them for her torment; if his brother's precious relationship unraveled because of his failure.

But Morgan's compassionate, intelligent, response to his remorse eased his fears, quieted his mind. He began to seek her company more regularly, solely to vent.

She kept his confidences. Not divulging even a hint of his uncertainties to her mate or the others. In the following months, she became a true advisor. Someone who understood the intricacies of their odd little family and cared about them as much as he did. A friend who offered independent counsel at his asking.

He loved her fiercely for that gift.

Morgan nodded to him, giving an encouraging smile, and the pressure around him dissipated. When he focused on her, he was able to speak.

"I couldn't reach the bastard so I threatened his secretary until she contacted Karai. There were so many Foot at the ambush she had to be in on it. I couldn't think past that. Past some sort of accounting for my sister's death"—Leo's eyes drifted from Morgan to Raph and settled on their joined hands—"and my brother's loss."

He drew another deep breath.

"I condemned Karai before she even arrived. I attacked when she came to talk. I almost took her head, but at the last minute... I couldn't. Not because I care for her," he said with a glare at Raphael, "but because she didn't have a clue about what happened. If I killed her, it wouldn't be justice, it would be murder.

"So, no," Leo said, dropping his gaze. "I didn't go expecting to see her. I very much doubt she'll help us again."

"Mistakes are a part of life," Splinter's voice rasped from the shadows.

Their father stepped into the light and the brothers shut their hanging jaws and jumped to attention. Leo jolted upright and winced.

"Revenge is an action of last resort," the wise rat said. "It is not without merit, but there are outcomes which cannot be readily foreseen. Unfortunately, it is often driven by immediate need, which is why I have tried to teach you to see past your emotions.

"But we are only 'human,' my sons, despite our animal forms. Making errors is how we learn. Morgan brought vast and unexpected changes to our family—induced feelings you were unprepared for. But you, Leonardo, caught yours before it was too late. And Karai may yet surprise you."

"Hai, Sensei," Leo answered with relief and a small bob of his head.

"Since we have clarified the 'why' of your adventure, my son, perhaps you can explain what happened? Donatello spoke of an explosion." The old rat closed his eyes and stilled, waiting patiently for a report, as he had done a thousand times before.

Leonardo organized his thoughts. The early part flowed easily off his lips: the seemingly empty rooftop; the way the Foot melted out of the woodwork; their combined attack, forcing him to retaliate brutally; the absence of Baxter and the serum.

The remainder proved more difficult because he wasn't entirely certain what occurred.

"I was losing, father. The Foot fought fiercely and sought to kill, not their usual M.O. I had run out of options when I heard the most incredible noise."

"This sound, describe it," Splinter said without opening his eyes.

Leonardo closed his in concentration. "Not a roar or a shriek, but some combination of the two. A tremendous screech, like tortured steel. Thunderous. Piercing. Angry."

Thier father grunted so he continued.

"A huge draft pulsed around me. When I turned to see... something rose out of the darkness between the buildings."

"Something?" Donnie asked leaning forward with rapt attention. "Something like what?"

"I'm not sure. The body was large and black. Obscured by smoke. It swooped over my head and fried a Foot soldier."

"Was it aiming for you?" Mikey asked with huge eyes.

"I don't think so."

"Fried?" Raph asked.

"It threw some sort of flame."

"So, it was a UFO," Donnie summed up, "which shot fire or plasma. Could you make out the shape? Was it similar to any of the ships we've encountered before?"

"It wasn't a ship," Leonardo said. "I think—I think it was alive. It had wings. And I felt its eyes on me."

"A new flying mutant?" Donnie mused.

"Or perhaps something older," Splinter said, eyes gleaming.

"I was still trying to figure it out when a Foot soldier got underneath my guard," Leo said with a grimace. "I took a blow to the head and blacked out."

"What happened next?" Mikey asked, bouncing on his tiptoes.

"I woke _inside_ the building. A woman was... tending to me. She spoke broken English, but she said the roof fell in and the Foot were all dead."

"You survived a five-story fall unconscious? Geez, Leo! How are you in one piece?" Donnie exclaimed.

"I don't know."

"This the same girl you asked me about?" Raphael inquired.

"Yes," he answered through clenched teeth.

"Who was she?"

Leonardo closed his eyes momentarily to lock down his emotions, but it didn't help. Alexis' face flashed behind his lids; golden eyes peaceful, deep. His heart twisted in a way he couldn't quite put a name to. He was no stranger to loss and regret, but this was something more. Almost heartache.

"I don't know, Raph," he forced out past the tightness in his throat. "We didn't have a lot of time for conversation. She came out of nowhere and I couldn't see well. "

"And the explosion?" Don asked.

"The building was mined. Set on a short release timer. She warned me, but there was no way to escape. I could barely stand, much less run."

He couldn't face them any longer. He dropped his eyes as he mumbled the final words of his tale.

"The girl wouldn't leave. I tried to force her to go, but she wrapped us together in some sort of fabric. I guess she thought it would protect us."

"She was right," Don said. "I'd love to examine it, whatever it was. Even a steel wall wouldn't have diverted so much explosive, but you're wholly intact— not even burned!"

_But it didn't save her!_

Leo swallowed the thought before he shouted it in his brother's face. Donnie didn't understand the chaotic emotions Alexis stirred inside him.

_How could he when I don't?_

A small hand touched his arm and he met his sister's tri-colored hazel eyes. She sensed what the others could not see. Unless he made an effort to smudge his aura, she could read him as well as his father. She squeezed gently in support.

"Gentlemen," Morgan said, "The rest of your questions can wait. Leo needs some real sleep and so do I."

Gratefully, he laid his hand over hers and squeezed silently back.

* * *

Leonardo turned over on his cot in the lab. To a stranger, the movement would appear subtle, smooth, almost undetectable. For one used to his stillness, it was akin to shouting his restlessness to the world. Unable to quiet his mind, he turned again to observe his co-patient.

Morgan slumbered in another temporary bed next to him. She was completely out, and he smiled slightly, amused by her cute little sleep grumblings.

Donatello puttered about in the background, moving from machine to machine. He mumbled to himself as he analyzed her latest scan, trying to determine why the use of her gift had not triggered another devastating attack. His abstraction created a kind of white noise which lulled Leo some.

Leonardo was simply grateful Morgan hadn't suffered on his behalf. He let his gaze run over the silhouette of his sleeping sister and tried to mimic her even breathing, hoping for the relief of dreams.

It wasn't to be. Every time he shut his eyes Alexis haunted him. His imagination painted horrible pictures of her demise. Bloody and torn, her face a rictus of suffering, she was tormented and gone... because of him.

_If I hadn't decided to confront Baxter, she would never have entered the building. If I wasn't there, the Foot would not have detonated the explosive which ended her life._

No matter how he viewed it, her death lay on him.

_There is no upside. No vindication._

The miraculous serum to save the sister he adored did not exist.

_Alexis died in vain._

With a growl at his thoughts, Leo forced himself out of bed and stumbled over to his brother, searching for a distraction.

Donatello eyed him warily as he approached. He could almost hear the checklist in his brother's brain as the genius cataloged his gate and posture, but Don didn't comment on Leonardo's shaky walk. And he was wise enough not to try to send his troubled brother immediately back to bed.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked instead, holding up a test tube full of a viscous liquid.

"Should I?" Leo asked as Donnie relinquished the sealed vial to his outstretched hand.

The odd substance couldn't seem to settle on a color. It was blue until he shifted the container then it became a dark purple. He tilted it back and forth a few times, watching the transition with fascination.

"You were practically coated in it when we located you," Don said. "I was hoping you recognized it. I couldn't analyze it fully until I separated it from the ash and other debris, but it's organic and has some rather unique properties."

Leo shook his head in answer and raised a brow. "Like what?"

"The cells are linked together with a variety of complex bonds which allow them to... transmute—I guess is the best description. Yet it remains perfectly stable. I ran some tests. Sent electrical impulses through it and it changed it's own internal structure in response."

"So, it's some form of mutagen? Something new the Foot is experimenting with?"

Donatello snorted derisively.

"This is what mutagen wishes it could be," he said. "It's totally controllable, organic, inert, and antiseptic when on its own. I don't think Shredder's team of incompetents came up with it." He paused, squinting at the liquid. "It's... old. Really old. I carbon dated some of the sample. The result on DNA isn't too precise—plus or minus 10 years or so—but the test puts this liquid's age at approximately one thousand years."

"What?"

The word 'impossible' hovered on his tongue, but Leo had seen too many improbable things in his life to utter it.

"I wish I'd collected more when we brought you in, but I didn't know what it was. I washed it off you as quickly as I could and only saved the one sample. I need to go back to the site and see if there's more."

"Why?"

"I found traces of the substance in Morgan's last scan. She must have touched some when she checked you for injuries. It's easily absorbed through the skin."

"It's not hurting her, is it?" Leo asked, alarmed. "Or the baby?"

"Quite the contrary," Don said, "I think you might have discovered what we've been searching for. This,"—he plucked the vial from Leo's shaking hand—"stabilized her cells. At least, temporarily. I think it's why she didn't have a fit after she used her talent."

Leonardo's mind spun. He hadn't failed after all. By pure chance, his actions rendered the desired result. The risk had been rewarded. Alexis' death had meaning.

_But did I just trade the life of one innocent for another?_

He staggered back to his cot and sat heavily. Donatello jolted into medical mode and rushed to his side.

"Dizzy? Vision giving you trouble again?"

He whipped out the hand-held scanner, developed to track Morgan's condition, and ran it over Leo, scrolling immediately through the results.

"I—I'm fine, Donnie. I just... need a minute."

Don scrolled through the data again. Seeing nothing life threatening, he allowed himself to be mollified. He sat down and glanced sideways.

"You want to talk about it?"

Leonardo smiled weakly. "Sometimes you are far too observant."

The genius shrugged. "You've been on edge since you woke. It's not hard to guess you got something on your mind."

Leo's smile faded and he sighed, shrugging.

"The woman."

Donnie's expression softened in sympathy and he rested a hand on Leonardo's shoulder.

"You can't save everyone."

True. There were more instances than Leo cared to count when they arrived too late to rescue a victim. Or were in the wrong place to do anything about it when some horrible tragedy occurred. They learned early to harden themselves against such loss. They had to, or they couldn't bear to continue.

"Alexis was different," Leonardo said in a low voice. The confession lowered his barriers and he found himself admitting more than he normally would. "She wouldn't have been in the building if she hadn't been trying to care for me. If I hadn't gone barging in there, she would still be alive."

He stared at the lab wall, but he wasn't seeing it. His mind conjured the blurry background of the warehouse, a graceful woman, and golden eyes.

"She was whole, perfect. Right there in front of me. I still couldn't save her."

"I'm sure you did everything you could, but humans are fragile. Frankly, I'm astounded you came out fairly unscathed."

"It was the other way around," Leonardo murmured, shaking his head. "I survived because of her."

Donnie looked at him askance but didn't protest how unlikely that was. His brother needed something positive to hold on to, but he also needed to stop blaming himself.

"She made the call, Leo, the choice to stay with you. You told her to run. She had a chance to escape and she didn't take it. You are not responsible for her decision."

Pain flared in his brother's eyes and they gleamed.

Donnie marked the moment Leonardo pulled back behind his protective walls. A smooth mask descended over his face and he strictly controlled himself once again. Once he shut down, he wouldn't share anymore. Don patted his shell.

"Try to get some rest. I'm going to send Raph and Mikey out tonight to search for more samples. I'll keep you apprised."

The leader nodded and lay down again as Donatello stood to return to his tests.

"And Leo? She made the right choice. We can't afford to lose you."

Leonardo clenched his eyes tight and turned away.

Don pretended not to see the trickle of tears.

* * *

Alexis woke with a horrible, twisting pain in her stomach and shifted uncomfortably in the moonlight of the rooftop. Deliberately, she rose and stretched, feeling the tightness of dried blood pull across her back. The smaller wounds had healed but the larger, deeper, impalements still dripped lethargically.

Tentatively, she extended her wings and winced. The left hurt like hell. She snorted in irritation. Flying would be impossible for at least a week. She might be able to glide, but that was it. With a sigh, she folded them neatly and resumed her seat attempting to regain her trance.

Her guts rumbled again. Another sharp pain ripped through her. This time, she identified it.

_Hunger?_

Dragons rarely ate. Their inherent powers sustained them in most instances, but when injured they required additional forms of nutrients in order to heal. Alexis hadn't been hurt in centuries and the unfamiliar sensation of starvation drove her back to her feet. She could do with a nice fat cow and a couple of sheep.

_Where am I supposed to find food around here?_

There weren't any farms to raid and she remained trapped on this building. Flightless. She sighed and her cracked ribs twinged to remind her scales, wings, and stomach weren't her only problems.

_Humans have to eat often. There must be something available down there._

She growled irritably as she moved toward the fire escape. Going to street level meant she must shift to human form. It was going to hurt and use up the remainder of her internal fuel, but her stomach wasn't going to let her wait.

She sniffed the air. The scent of charred meat drifting on the breeze decided her. Humans pushed around carts filled with the stuff, she remembered, and her hunger pangs rose to new levels. She needed to get moving.

Alexis shoved herself upright, stood on her rear legs, and raised her front feet over her head; extending her wings for balance and closing her eyes. Slowly, she let the change ripple through her body from head to toe.

Her wings shrank into her back and disappeared. Her neck shortened. Her snout receded. Pink hands formed, connected to human arms, shoulders, and torso. Her tail withdrew into her spine. Her legs twisted, knees inverting as muscles realigned. Talons and feet compressed until they were in perfect proportion to the rest of her. In one final undulation, her scaled armor faded into pale human flesh. Fine black hair sprouted and cascaded over her.

_Clothes. I need clothes. Humans have a thing about nudity._

Her scales pulsed at the thought, converting into the semblance of cloth. A tank top and cut off shorts were all she had the brainpower to define. Finally, her eyes dimmed to a dull brown.

The transformation complete, she dropped to her knees.

Her arms clenched involuntarily over her midriff and she dry heaved into the gravel. The damaged ribs creaked under new skin and soft muffled sounds of pain emerged from her throat. Across her back and down her arms scabs cracked and new blood oozed, trickling down.

Exhausted, she raised her head, hair falling away from her face... to meet a pair of intense amber eyes staring at her from mere feet away.

_Father sky! How long has he been standing there?_

* * *

Raphael and Michelangelo climbed three-quarters of the way up the fire escape before they heard a sob echo from above.

At Donatello's request, the two had returned to the surface to seek more of the unusual liquid. While they found thin smears of the stuff all over, none were large enough to collect more than a swab or two. But a rather sporadic trail led away from the rubble.

They followed it to the side of this building, hoping to find a more usable puddle. Traces and oddly spaced scrape marks drew them upward.

They stopped as the sound came again.

"Someone's up there," Mikey said, his usual playfulness gone. "You think it's the flying monster?"

Raphael grunted softly. "I doubt it'd be sniveling," he said.

Still, he stepped protectively in front of his younger brother. Drawing a sai, he climbed the final ladder with one hand, ready for anything. Topping the railing, he swung his legs over in a silent landing, putting him face to face with...

A girl.

She gasped, her dark eyes grew wide at his sudden appearance, but she didn't scream or pull away. Before he could warn his brother to keep out of sight, Mikey landed beside him and froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh, hi?"


	6. Lost and Found

A lone candle burned—pushing back against the intangible weight of the darkness.

Leonardo half-knelt in the glowing circle, eyes gleaming, katanas crossed defensively over his head. Another blade flashed into view, bearing down with crushing force. He caught it between his own and swung his torso in a tight arc, giving no ground.

If any part of him brushed the gloom it would all be over. And not just for him. The entire family's fate rested on his shoulders, their lives forfeit if he failed this test.

Sparks flew as the swords slipped across each other and broke apart, drawing his enemy closer. A shadowy hand penetrated the sphere of light and drew back with an inhuman scream.

Keeping his own well inside the ring of protection, Leo countered. Slicing into the black with a powerful flick of his wrist. The blade encountered nothing. With a frustrated huff, he whipped the katana back, angling it protectively over his crouched form.

They traded blow after blow with the same result. Attack. Defend. Counter. Neither gaining an advantage over the other. Leonardo remained hostage to the light, unable to shift from his constricted stance over the candle. His opponent lurked freely in the dark but failed to drive the ninja master from the circle.

_Stalemate._

A sinister chuckle and slow sarcastic applause snapped Leo's head to the left.

"Well done. In clean competition we are evenly matched," a deep voice growled. A pair of glowing orange eyes and the foggy figure of a man shimmered forth several feet away, barely lighter than his surroundings.

"Too bad for you, I do not intend to fight fair," the man said. He lifted a hand and wind rose.

Leonardo's candle guttered.

He shifted to shield the flame with his body and his nearly invisible enemy struck. The sword connected solidly with his shell, knocking him to all fours. He quivered as a sharp pain shot up his spine and the fire burned his plastron, yet he still managed to shelter the fragile light which, in turn, protected him.

_Ancestors preserve us!_

Leonardo was not one for religion. He had seen too much to put faith in any one all powerful deity. Benevolent or otherwise. But he believed in history, in family. Even those members he could no longer see.

To obtain mastery, he had meditated for days, walked the spirit paths, and learned from those who had gone before. He called on them now. If any of his former sensei would deign to aid him, he would not reject their assistance—for all who remained of the clan were at risk.

With a smooth contortion, Leonardo righted himself and regained his crouch in front of the taper.

Orange eyes narrowed and the shadow man focused, not on Leo, but past the defender to the candle itself. Longing crossed his face but was immediately erased by a snarl.

"Interesting. You cling to her ancient light even though she has all but abandoned you," he taunted. "Do you even realize how many times you've been betrayed?"

"She?" Leonardo asked. He squinted angrily at the man, shielding his eyes from the glare of the inexplicably increased glow.

A small human hand touched his arm from behind—a dangerous maneuver when he was so tightly wound. It gripped his elbow firmly and drew him to his feet, as Leo peered over his shoulder in astonishment.

His candle had vanished. A woman stood in its place.

A flowing kimono of palest blue, accented in red, defined her lithe form. Long dark hair trailed down under an elaborate headdress. Both stirred majestically in the shadow wind as she dipped her head, concealing her features.

In her hands, she held a long cane of bamboo dipping to a brightly lit paper lantern. It cast a far greater safe zone than his lone flame.

The man retreated several steps with a growl, yet his eyes burned with suppressed hunger.

"Come away from her, boy," he said, baring his teeth. "She is an unreliable ally who grows weary of her watch. She will fail you at the first test of faith."

Leonardo's eyes narrowed and flicked from one form to the other. The man was indistinct where the girl was well defined. He threatened and attacked while she offered shelter. His presence exuded danger while hers was... exhilarating.

_But it could be a part of the test... whoa betide the fool who ignores words of caution because they come from the beast and not the beauty._

Sensing his indecision, the shadow pressed his advantage.

"A truce I will offer. Abjure this false protector. Take the light and give her to me. Do this and I will yield, sparing you—and your family."

Leonardo's stomach rolled, revolted by the very idea.

_Take her protection? Leave her at the mercy of the night when she has done nothing?_

Though his every instinct screamed ‘NO!’, he still hesitated. This creature was a dangerous foe, one he scarcely held his own against. Making the agreement would protect his loved ones, even if it felt like a deal with the devil.

_Why does he want her so badly?_

He turned to examine the woman more intently and two glyphs on the front of her robes caught his eye. Abruptly, his allegiance solidified.

Intricately embroidered in blue and gold, one depicted the symbol of the Hamato clan more elaborately than any he'd ever seen. The second was a character he did not know, though it was sewn across a familiar beast.

The creature's clawed feet and scaly body twined across her front and over her shoulder, wrapping a long tail around her neckline. He couldn't immediately place it, but the image struck a chord of recognition deep inside. His eyes widened in awe.

_An ancestor answered!_

It wasn't any who helped with his training, but their line was old and his forebearers many. He could not expect to recognize them all. Instantly, he sheathed his weapons and offered her a profound bow of reverence.

The shadow let out a bark of rage. "You are a fool to doubt me! Ask your Master Yoshi how she left him wandering in the darkness. She will do the same to you!"

For a moment, uncertainty haunted him, but the woman lifted her lamp high with both hands. Raising the gentle arc of grass until the whole area was bathed in light. With no place to hide, the man began dissolving.

"This is not over!" he howled. "I warn you, stay away from her! She—is—mine!" With a final groan of protest, he collapsed into dust.

As the last of the shadowy remains drifted away, the woman raised her head to bask in the warm luminescence. Leonardo gasped as the lantern revealed her upturned face. He knew what he would see when she lowered her eyes.

Wise and golden, she blinked softly at him as she dropped her arms.

"Alexis?" he breathed in shocked disbelief.

"Warrior," she answered with a respectful tilt of her head.

Leo reached for her without thinking.

Surprise and confusion flashed in her wide eyes as his fingers trailed delicately over the sharp planes of her cheekbone and lifted to brush a stray bit of hair from her proud forehead. It wasn't until her small hand touched his face in turn that he realized the impropriety of his actions, the bounds he'd overstepped.

Mortified to have treated her with such frank familiarity, he flinched from under her tentative contact. She withdrew. A flush darkened her cheeks and hurt rolled across her eyes.

Before he could apologize, a piercing shriek echoed through the empty sky and Leonardo's heart sped. He jerked a katana from its sheath and stepped in front of her, caring not a whit for the light but desperate to keep Alexis covered.

A tingle of adrenaline-fueled nerves cascaded over his skin as he firmed his stance.

_I will not lose her again._

But Alexis did not let him engage. She reached around him and placed a hand on his forearm. Against his will, the sword point lowered. Something huge came crashing down and the lamp extinguished, leaving him blind.

Drowning in the thundering noise of beating wings, Leonardo cried her name. Frantically groping for her in the black. Her reply was a whisper of wind in his ear.

"Sometimes you _have_ to get lost in the dark in order to find the light."

* * *

 

Silence dominated the lair. The clock in the kitchen read 1 AM.

Michelangelo and Raphael were out searching for more samples of Donatello's purple goo. Morgan still slept and Donnie, per usual, was so absorbed in his work he probably wouldn't notice if a bomb went off.

_Unless it said 'ouch.' Then it would gain his undivided attention._

He hadn't even acknowledged Leonardo when he flashed awake and darted out of the lab.

Leo opened the first cheery, yellow cabinet door to withdraw an antique ceramic jar. April brought down as a gift for Splinter years ago. During one childhood squabble or another, its lid broke but it had been lovingly repaired. Now it housed their green leaf tea.

The top of the canister rattled and he frowned at his shaking hand, setting it on the counter. Snatching the kettle off the stove, he took a deep breath and walked at a deliberate pace to fill it at the sink. The ritual of tea preparation, something he did several times a day, helped ground him in reality.

The water heated.

_Recenter. Breathe in, breathe out._

The leaves steeped.

_Find your focus._

By the time he poured the brew through a sieve into Splinter's nicest teapot his hands were steady. He placed the pot and two special drinking bowls on a dark wood tray. After a second's thought, he added a few of his father's favorite almond cookies and glided smoothly out of the kitchen.

If he had to disturb his Sensei this late, it was only polite to bring refreshments.

At the shoji screen door, Leo knelt carefully, settled the tray as quietly as possible, and waited to be recognized. He needn't knock. His father would sense his aura.

"You may enter, Leonardo."

Sliding the door open only wide enough to admit himself, he pushed the tea in before rocking back gracefully to regain his feet. He stooped into a bow, drew the tray off the floor, and entered his father's receiving area.

Placing the offering directly in the center of his master's table, he stepped back and remained bent until Splinter raised his eyes. The wise rat twitched his whiskers at the scent of almonds and smiled at the thoughtfulness of his eldest.

"So formal, my son? There is no need at this late hour."

Leonardo took this as his cue to sit. However, when he no longer had a rigid ceremony to follow the shaking began anew.

"Father, I- I had a vi-vi-sion," he stuttered through the tremors.

They became so violent he leaned forward to press his palms flat against the floor. His mouth dropped open and he panted desperately. Bile crept up his throat. He shuddered so hard his teeth rattled.

"Leonardo!" his father gasped.

Consumed by spasms he could not halt, Leo didn't realize Splinter had moved until strong arms encircled his shoulders. He knelt, pulling his son's upper body into his lap and holding him tight to his chest. He smoothed long fingers over Leo's head and shell as the blue-banded turtle gripped him anxiously.

"Breathe," Splinter commanded. "Match your rhythm to mine. Feel the air enter your body and release it."

"Wha- What is hap- happening?" Leo asked, trembling.

"Your vision was prophetic. Seeing the future, even a hint of one, takes a grave toll on the body. Focus on your breathing. There will be time for questions later."

After what seemed like a lifetime of shaking, the symptoms abated. Leonardo's lungs steadied, his heart rate calmed, and he no longer felt as if the world were collapsing around him. More in control, he withdrew from his father's embrace, slightly embarrassed.

Splinter chuckled at the look on his face.

"Do not fear, my son. Your reaction was typical of a new prophet, yet you regrouped swiftly. I remember taking days to recover from my first such dream. Of course, I was young and we had not had a seer in the family for a hundred years, but my parents recognized the signs. What a fuss they made. Perhaps that is why I chose to stay in my room for so long."

Leonardo smiled at the mental image of little Yoshi hiding to avoid the ruckus. His father offered few stories of his human life and Leo was proud when he decided to share such personal moments.

_But Sensei always knows exactly what to say._

"Will it happen again?" Leo asked. His smile faded as the disturbing intensity of his dream returned.

Splinter retreated to his former seat to pour the tea.

"If you are destined to become a sage, the dreams will continue and your body will adjust. You will recover more quickly and not feel so helpless after each. But sometimes one is granted a singular warning of a specific event."

"The visions, are they literal?"

"Such things are best determined with a settled mind and a full stomach," Splinter said.

He offered his son a cookie before selecting one of his own and they nibbled meditatively. Crunching crumbs and sipping tea in silence. As frustrated as Leo was with what appeared to be an evasion, he had to admit he felt better with some sugar in his system.

"Did it contain places or landscapes you recognize?" Splinter inquired at last. "Specific events? People?"

Leonardo shook his head. "Mostly it was a singular battle. A sparring of darkness and light. A test of sorts—but our entire family was at stake."

"Then it was likely allegory. A symbolic story to advise you of things to come. To have received such guidance... the events will be life-changing."

"Master, in my vision a man mentioned you by name. Told me to ask a question."

Splinter raised a brow. "And did you ask?"

"You were not in the dream, Sensei."

His brow furrowed further. "Strange. These things are usually self-contained. What was the query?"

"There was a woman," Leonardo hesitated and decided not to mention her name. "An... ally. At least, I thought her so but the man claimed she was not. He said 'Ask your Master Yoshi how she left him wandering in the darkness.' Does it mean anything to you?"

"I shall have to think on it. Offhand, I have no answer."

Leo bowed his head in acceptance.

"One last thing, father, and I will leave you to rest. The woman had several glyphs on her robes. One was an elaborate rendition of our own clan symbol, but the other was kanji I did not recognize."

Splinter smiled and stood to retrieve paper and ink from his desk. "I am not surprised, my son. There are many thousands of characters and I only taught you the commonly used variants."

He set the supplies in front of Leonardo and poured some water from his bedside glass to wet the block of ink. "Show me."

Leo licked his lips nervously. His brush calligraphy was decent. In fact, several of his best works hung on the walls of their home. Symbols for strength, wisdom, and family. Even more personal and complex glyphs decorated his room.

But performing anything besides ninjutsu under his father's watchful gaze always put him on edge. He closed his eyes to better picture the symbol and painted it on the fragile, hand-pressed parchment—passing it to his master gingerly when he finished.

While Splinter considered the possible meanings, Leonardo let his eyes wander the quarters. Unlike his siblings, he was always comfortable here. Even when he was in trouble. The scoldings never seemed so bad when so much warmth surrounded you.

With generous gifts from friends over the years, like April's tea caddy, they had managed to furnish these apartments in a traditional Japanese style. From the Shinto shrine in the corner to the dividing screen with the beautiful red and black ink painting—all that remained of the Hamato's ancient treasures were gathered here.

Leo felt secure surrounded by such history.

His eyes drifted back to the divider. There, in the lower right section of the third panel, a smudged figure drew his attention. Smeared because, as children, they used to run their fingers over the protective beast in awe and imagination.

His memory jogged.

_The animal on Alexis' robe..._

His heart accelerated as he moved closer, nearly prostrating himself to minutely examine the outline. He was almost positive it was the same creature.

_Except hers had wings..._

Behind him, Splinter suddenly spoke, making him jump.

"Ah, there is a reason you did not see this symbol's meaning. You have painted a jukugo, a compound word. Only you have overlaid the two kanji. When you separate them, all becomes clear. It means—"

"Guardian," Leonardo finished.

* * *

 

_Of all the nights to be seen..._

It wasn't the first time it had happened. He knew how to handle it, depending on the state of the person who caught them. Still, Raphael silently cursed their abrupt entrance. He should have been more careful, but tracking down a cure for Morgan, one that might also save their child, had been the only thing on his mind.

For half a minute he met the girl's steady stare. Recovering from his initial burst of temper, he realized she wasn't simply shocked into stillness by their appearance. She shivered despite the overbearing heat and blinked rapidly at him.

_She's in a bad way._

The girl kneeling in front of him was rail thin, disheveled, and bruised. Her arms and legs were covered with half-healed scabs. Blue-black circles ringed her eyes as she peered out from a curtain of dark hair. And she bent almost double, clutching at her middle.

_Drugs? Heroin withdrawal maybe… Should be easy enough to convince her we aren’t what she thinks._

He held out a hand palm down and sank into a crouch to seem less imposing, keeping eye contact all the while. It didn't look like she was about to bolt, but they'd had all kinds of different reactions from startled people over the years.

_Don't want her injurin' herself trying ta get away._

"It's ok, hon," he rumbled. "I didn't mean to frighten ya. I know we look odd, but we're just passin' through. We ain't gonna hurt ya."

She shuddered again and pain crinkled the corners of her eyes.

"You ok?" Raph asked. "You want help?"

It was obvious she needed assistance, but he wasn't going to force it on an unwilling junkie.

He grew more concerned when she didn't reply. Normally, those suffering such effects got belligerent, hit him up for a fix, or believed their mutation a hallucination; no matter what, they talked. This girl didn't. She gazed at him blankly. He began to wonder if she understood anything he was saying.

For once, Michelangelo showed some sense and followed his lead without prompting, sinking to his haunches. His eyes glued to the figure in front of them.

"Raph," he whispered, "she's bleeding."

"I can see that," Raphael said, still holding her gaze. He'd noticed on his first cursory glance but chalked it up to needle marks from unsteady hands.

"No, I mean, she's bleeding _IT_. The purple stuff."

The girl's eyes flicked to Mikey, then down to her own arms and her expression twisted to one of dismay.

_So she understands English, at least. She's just totally out of it. Wonder how long she's been like this. Those bruises are a couple days old. Her lips are chapped. She needs water. It's been so hot—_

A second later, what Mikey actually said penetrated his stream of thought and Raph examined the girl more intensely. It was somewhat hard to make out in the dim light, but sure enough, her arms were coated in the bluish-purple colored liquid they'd been seeking all night.

_It can't be blood. She probably stumbled inta whatever that stuff is, jus' like Leo._

Under closer scrutiny, though, he realized the network of scabs and bruises he took for the track marks of a drug user were, in reality, far more random. The girl had been shredded and she hadn’t done it to herself. Abruptly he was far more sympathetic to her plight.

"Mikey give me your first aid supplies. We can't leave her like this."

As Michelangelo dug through his various pouches and started pulling out gauze and compression tape, Raph inched cautiously nearer to the injured woman.

_The poor thing is fading fast..._

"My name's Raphael," he said to keep her focused on him. "I'm gonna need to come closer ta fix ya up. That okay?"

Dully she nodded. Surprised at her immediate acceptance, he quick-stepped to her side.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.

Kneeling next to her, he picked up one unresisting wrist and dabbed at a laceration on her forearm. The gauze came away coated in purple. He wiped again with a new piece as the wound began to seep, expecting regular red now the odd coating was cleaned away. What he got was more violet liquid.

Shocked he sat back on his heels and regarded her suspiciously. She looked normal, but her 'blood' unquestionably wasn't.

"You ain't human," he said in sudden accusation. He waited for some sort of denial, but she nodded again.

"That doesn't necessarily mean she's bad, dude," Mikey said from beside him, holding out a longer length of bandage. "Morgan isn't entirely either, yet you’d still want someone to help her if she needed it."

Raph grunted and began to wrap the woman's entire arm in gauze to stop the bleeding.

"So-o-o," Michelangelo asked her conversationally, "what did happen to you?"

She jerked her head in the direction of the demolished building.

"You were caught in the explosion?" Mikey asked, aghast.

_Well that explains her injuries. Leonardo may have been spared but this girl wasn't so lucky. Shrapnel tore her to bits._

Raph's eyes widened as he put two and two together and came up with a ridiculous sum. "You were with Leo. Your... blood was all over him! That's why ya ain't surprised by us."

She'd been staring at the ground, but she raised her eyes at his brother's name.

"The Warrior. He is ok?"

The question was weak. Quiet, yet exceedingly urgent. Truly concerned over the state of a mutant she hardly knew.

"He's fine, hon," Raph murmured automatically, still stunned by the revelation.

She nodded in relief but bent again, dragging her arm from his light grasp to clutch at her stomach.

"But you're not."

_"He ought to have broken bones, burned skin, shrapnel embedded in his shell, and smoke in his lungs. Any of those would be life threatening..."_

Donatello's remembered rant echoed through Raphael's mind. She was suffering some if not all of the above.

_She protected him. I didn't believe it, but somehow she did._

It was an incredible sacrifice. He could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who had taken actual bodily harm to protect one of his family over the years. She deserved all the respect and assistance he could give.

"Anything broke?" he asked, hiding renewed concern behind a gruff demeanor.

Tentatively she ran a dirty hand over her ribs and winced when she got to the bottom right.

"That one givin' ya trouble?"

She started to nod but collapsed with a moan. His gaze snapped back to her face. Her eyes were glazed, unseeing.

_Shit._

"Mikey call Don. We ain't equipped to deal with this."

 


	7. Mixed Emotions

**Mixed Emotions**

Raphael bent to lift the injured girl, but she planted a hand on his chest and pushed him back with more force than he thought she had left in her body. He staggered a step, caught unprepared.

"Woah, it's ok," he protested. "I was only tryin' to get you somewhere safe."

"Safe, I am not," she said. Her deep brown eyes flashed wild and feral. "I hunger. Do not approach."

Raphael stepped back.

_She's what? 5' 5"? 140 lbs.? As hurt as she is, I doubt she can take me. And hungry? More likely she's thirsty. But Leo said her English weren't so good._

"I'll risk it," he replied. "You need help and I ain't leavin' ya here on yer own."

He reached behind his shell and unhooked one of several canteens from his sash. They were all running with extra water this season.

_Too dangerously hot to be topside without it._

He spun the cap off and took a swig to show her it was harmless before squatting down and offering a drink.

She took the container and sniffed before taking a sip. Three long swallows followed. He wondered if he might have to take it back. Too much too quickly after a long dry spell could cause trouble, but she returned the canteen still half full.

"Good girl," he murmured, then raised his voice. "Let's get ya somewhere you can rest. Someplace cool, ok?"

She offered no further protest as he picked her up, tucking one arm gingerly under her legs and the other behind her back. Apparently she wasn't cognizant enough to help, not even trying to grasp around his neck. Instead, she winced and went limp, closing her eyes.

_We got to get her out of here. I've seen corpses with more life._

Raphael shifted her carefully to make certain of his hold. She was taller than his petite little mate, more muscular. Experience told him the more muscle one had when injured the longer you could last.

_That physique might save her._

"Mikey? Ya got Donnie yet?" Raph asked, reminding his hovering little brother of what he was supposed to be doing. "Put him on speaker."

The genius picked up on the first ring.

"Donatello here."

"How's Morgan?" Raphael asked.

"Sleeping—"

"She stable enough to stay with Splinter for a while?"

"Yes, or Leonardo." Don's voice became suspicious. It was practically unthinkable Raph would ask him to leave Morgan. "What's going on? You find the source?"

"Sorta. Ya need ta meet us right away," Raphael glanced down at the girl's pale face, her breathing was shallow, faster than before. "We're headed to April's with an unconscious civilian."

Donatello let out a long suffering sigh. "You've got to stop picking up strays, Raph. I can't keep interrupting my research to treat them or I'll never find a solution for Morgan," he admonished gently. "Can't you call an ambulance?"

"Believe me, I would if I could. But...you're gonna want to see this one, Donnie. She's bleeding yer purple stuff."

There was a gasp and in the background the clink of items being tossed into a bag. Don's tone changed abruptly, becoming crisp and businesslike.

"What are we up against?"

"If I had ta guess? Shock, blood loss, and heat stroke. 'Cept it ain't blood."

"Understood. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Uh, Donnie? Ya should bring Fearless, but best give him a heads up."

"Why?"

"I think she's his savior."

* * *

Michelangelo lingered nearby as Raph bandaged the girl's arms, offered her fresh water, and scooped her off the rooftop, not surprised in the least by his older brother's actions.

Those who didn't know him well might assume the sarcastic, egotistical Raphael couldn't care less about the plight of an injured human—especially one who appeared to have caused her problems herself.

Mikey knew better. Though his brother was volatile he secretly harbored a huge heart, caring for all those who could not care for themselves. He also possessed an overwhelming protective streak that appeared at a moment's notice.

When Raphael sank to his knees in front of the poor girl, Mikey knew they were going to assist. When he realized she was the solution for Morgan, their help became imperative.

Now he jogged along as close as he dared, ready to step in and support the injured woman if it looked like Raph was going to falter. His grip on her seemed a little precarious as if he was trying not to hold her too closely.

_I'm just used to the way he holds Morgan. Those two are magnets, constantly stuck together._

Raphael glanced his way and Michelangelo shifted his speculative gaze to the side. If Raph thought he was judging, he might get belligerent. From the look of the girl, they didn't have time for a temper tantrum.

Her eyes remained closed. She hadn't spoken since they moved. Her arms hung limply, and her face twisted in agony. The faster they got her to treatment the better.

Mikey spent so much energy trying to keep an eye on them without actually looking like he was watching, he almost missed seeing the enemy on the next rooftop.

Raphael didn't. He skidded to a stop before the jump and stared across with hard eyes.

"What do you want, Karai?" Raph called, scanning the area for her backup.

After Leo's confession, neither of them expected to encounter the kunoichi on her own, but there were no Foot in sight. Smirking, she drifted closer.

Mikey yanked his weapons free and began to swing his chucks in a lazy pattern.

_If she tries to cross I'll knock her back before she lands..._

"Just checking in," Karai said, casually straddling the edge wall and sitting. "I heard Leonardo ran into a bit of a problem. Wouldn't want to lose my favorite sparring partner—"

"If you're so concerned, you might tell your men not to use lethal force," Michelangelo said. "Or better yet, quit ordering them to ambush us at all."

Karai didn't even glance his way. It was almost an insult that she didn't consider him enough of a threat to bother with small talk. However, she narrowed her eyes at Raph and dropped her hand to the hilt of the knife at her belt.

"Wanna fill in?" she taunted. "I could use the workout."

Michelangelo made a choked noise of frustration. He didn't know why it bothered him, because everyone tended to ignore him, except Morgan.

_But that's cause lil' sis is the awesomest human being on the planet! Uh, half-human. Makes her even more awesomer. Not like Miss Smirky-pants over there._

"I ain't in the mood for yer games," Raph said, letting his voice drop to a growl.

Karai's eyes skimmed over the girl in his arms and lingered on her face. Surprised recognition flashed across her features. Mikey would have missed it if he hadn't been concentrating on her so hard.

_She's met her before!_

"That Morgan's replacement?" she mocked. "I'm shocked. You only lost her, what, four months ago? Call me sentimental, but I thought you'd still be mourning."

Raphael's growl turned from threatening to furious. His face twisted and darkened so much it turned almost black. Mikey flinched.

_So they haven't figured out Morgan's still alive. The serum rumor musta been fishing. Wonder what they thought when they only caught Leo?_

"Shut yer trap!" Raph yelled, shivering with restrained rage. "You don't deserve to even say her name!"

Michelangelo stayed out of it, reminding himself not to say anything to give the game away. The longer they could keep Morgan's continued existence a secret the better.

Climbing to her feet, Karai shrugged and dusted her palms, seemingly content to have gotten a rise out of Raphael. "Well, since you've got your hands full, I'll catch you some other time."

She turned to saunter away but paused. "Best be wary of that one," she cautioned over her shoulder with a tilt of her head toward the girl. "She may seem in need of saving, but she's a dragon who can eat you whole."

With that parting sally, she dove over the side and disappeared. Mikey blinked at the spot she had just vacated in confusion.

"Why would she warn us about a Purple Dragon?" Michelangelo asked. "We kick their butts on a regular basis. Besides, would one of them help Leo?"

"Don't know," Raph grumbled. "We'll tell the others, but for now, we need to get her indoors."

* * *

The light streaming out of April's apartment was glaringly bright for two-thirty in the morning. Leonardo shielded his eyes as Don tapped on the glass and waited for their friend to let them in.

_Every fixture in the place must be on._

A chill ran down Leo's spine. This was too much like his vision. Darkness on one side of him, light on the other, but April's familiar face peeked out the window, dispelling the illusion. She opened the sash, welcoming them into the bright, homey apartment.

"Couch," she said when Donnie shot her a questioning glance. "She passed out before they got here."

Leonardo's stomach twisted. The same way it had when Don burst into Sensei's quarters a half-hour ago and nearly dragged him to the tunnels babbling, _"They think they found her—your Alexis. She's hurt, but alive. She might even be the source of the cure."_

'Alexis' and 'alive' were the only two words Leonardo processed. He quit protesting and ran, hauling the heavy bag of equipment and supplies Don tossed to him along the way. They made it to the Jones' apartment in record time.

Now they were here, he was at loose ends. He wavered in the kitchen door, watching as his three brothers leaned over the monstrosity in the middle of the living room Casey called a 'sofa'.

It was, in the vigilante's words, 'the finest Corinthian leather,' and large enough to comfortably hold three mutant turtles for the length of whatever game they happened to be watching. A feat in and of itself.

Though Donatello inevitably poked fun at the hockey fanatic by pointing out 'Corinthian leather' was nothing more than leftover marketing jargon created for a car company in 1974.

_Is this how Don feels most of the time? Too many thoughts whirling past to pin down any particular point._

He didn't envy it.

Shaking his head, he attempted to focus on the situation at hand. The couch faced away from him so all Leonardo saw were the concerned faces of his brothers. Alexis, if indeed it was her, was obscured by the oversized back.

Donnie shooed Raph and Mikey out of the way and knelt to take her vitals, pulling several pieces of equipment out of the bag. Small beeps and other pseudo-medical sounds reached Leo's ears. He stared so hard he thought the couch might burst into flames from the intensity of his gaze, but he hesitated to move closer.

_What if it isn't her?_

Donnie thought this girl held the cure for Morgan. He should rejoice. But if she wasn't Alexis, after getting his hopes up that she lived, he would be devastated.

_And if it is?_

Any injuries she suffered were on his behalf. She had lain unprotected—exposed on a rooftop—for days. He hadn't even searched for her. Either way, the guilt was enormous.

April crossed the room, noted his worried look, and gave him a soft smile.

"Raph said you know her."

It was almost, but not quite, a question. Her inflection asking if perhaps she was something more. Leo nodded once, shortly. Neither confirming nor denying the implication. He tried to smooth his expression into one of neutrality. It was harder than it should be. His practiced mask cracked under the strain of his emotions.

"I'm sorry we disturbed you so late," he deflected with a grimace.

"I was waiting up for Casey anyway," she said. "He's out 'hunting.' Besides, any friend of yours is welcome here."

Her eyes skated over his face. April had known him a long time and she wasn't fooled by his camouflage. She could see the acute concern hiding underneath.

"She's in good hands," she reminded him, her voice laden with reassurance.

_She's in the best hands._

Donatello was the only one he would trust to care for her, and there was absolutely nothing Leo could add to her treatment. But hovering in the kitchen wasn't enough. He needed to find out one way or the other if Alexis lived.

He tilted his head to April in thanks and strode around the obstructing furniture in three swift strides. Don was leaning over his patient, applying a cool cloth to her eyes. It blocked Leo's view of her face and he huffed in frustration.

"Want to bring me up to speed?"

He asked the question softly, but the intensity made it a command. Donatello jerked upright in surprise. They locked eyes as Donnie determined whether he was addressing an obsessed brother or a leader who needed a full report.

"Truthfully? I've never seen anything like her. She's certainly not human. She isn't a mutant. She isn't Feyian. She isn't alien. I'll have to take more samples back to the lab and study them further to tell you accurately what she _is_."

Don was clearly intrigued. His words picked up speed and he became more animated as he spoke. He grabbed the hand-held scanner and passed it over her.

"She's utterly fascinating, though. There is mass being reported as present when it is obviously not here. See?"—he waved the output in Leo's face, his expression a mask of exalted confusion—"I thought it was malfunctioning, but it reads April and myself perfectly so it must be correct, yet it's not."

"Donnie, you're not making sense," Leo almost snarled in frustration. He had to restrain himself from shaking the genius to get a straight answer. "Is—she—going—to—be—ok?"

"Well... she has quite a few injuries. One rib broken on the right, another two cracked, a rather severe bump on the head, and she's lost a lot of... Blood? Fluid? Forty percent of her skin's surface area was punctured, and if these readings are right, she's got some problems I can't see, as in, somehow they are not here. Those are simply torn ligaments and muscles. But," Don backpedal frantically at his brother's darkening expression, "she _is_ healing herself. Rapidly."

Leo's heart sank at the extensive list and he didn't totally understand, but he focused on the words 'rapid healing' as being positive. He bent to remove the cloth from her eyes.

_Time to find out if she truly is my protector—_

His thought was interrupted by the revelation of her face.

"Alexis," he breathed in horror.

Her cheeks were sunken, large blackish bruises surrounded her eyes, and her lips were so pale as to be almost white. Yet it was the same proud forehead, jutting cheekbones, and pointed chin.

He turned on Don with frantic eyes.

"What else is wrong?" he demanded. "Blood loss, concussion, and broken bones don't look like this. This is like—like something's eating her from the inside."

"It's the speed healing," Donnie said. "If these here-but-not-here mass indications are correct, she needs incredible quantities of food and water to sustain the process. I don't think she's been getting any. Her body is devouring itself. Before she passed out, she told Raph it was dangerous to be around her because she was so hungry."

"She's a threat?"

Leo couldn't imagine this fragile looking body being able to hurt anyone, but it would be irresponsible to dismiss the possibility out of hand. Thankfully, Don shook his head.

"If she had bad intentions, she wouldn't have warned Raph away. I'm going to start her on a special intravenous drip. The fluids and proteins will help. If we can give her enough sustenance she won't be a danger, but someone should stay with her around the clock. I'll set up a rotation with Casey and Mikey."

"No." Leo's eyes burned as he stared at her devastated face. "Show me what to do. I'll care for her as long as it takes."

* * *

Despite Donatello's loud protests he was still healing himself, Leonardo insisted. He watched intently as the genius reluctantly showed him how to replace and adjust the bags of liquid nutrition flowing through her I.V. and took notes on how often to change them.

Eventually, the night caught up with them and they began winding down. Donnie yawned and Leo stopped his lecture.

"It's late and our sister needs you home," he said.

Raphael left several hours ago, unable to stay away from his ailing mate for long. And it was time the others returned to the lair to get some rest of their own. Even April retreated to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

"I'll stop by tomorrow after dark to check on Alexis," Donatello promised. "If you need anything before, call."

Mikey gave Leo a tight smile as he followed Don to the fire escape. "Be careful," he teased. "She might bite. Karai thinks she's a Purple Dragon."

Leo's blood froze in his veins and he grabbed Mikey's wrist to stop the youngest ninja from vaulting to the roof. "You saw her? When?"

"She stopped us when we were bringing Alexis here. Said she was checking up on you"—The orange-banded turtle shrugged—"She was alone and spoke in her usual catty riddles, but she did recognize the girl. I got the feeling her warning was the only genuine statement she made."

"And what did she say, exactly," Leo asked.

"Uh, 'She may seem in need of saving, but she's a dragon who can eat you whole.' I thought it was kinda weird. I mean Alexis doesn't resemble a gang member. And aren't the Purple Dragon's working with Shred-head now?"

Leo's mind was racing, but he released Mikey and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll think on it. Thanks for letting me know. Get some rest, okay?"

His brother flashed another smile and disappeared. Leo lowered the window and returned to the living room, sinking into the recliner opposite the unconscious young woman.

_Or old woman, if Don's DNA test is correct._

She didn't appear advanced in age. Her skin was smooth, filling out slightly with the addition of Donatello's 'liquid building blocks'. No wrinkles lined her strong features. Her hair was dark with no grey.

Yet he remembered the ancient sadness in her eyes as she wrapped herself around him. She was no stranger to pain and despair. They burrowed deep within her.

If she was the first long-lived being he had encountered, it might have come as more of a shock, but the Feyian also enjoyed an 'immortal' lifespan. Brenellean admitted to being more than three hundred years old and, aside from his half-human sister Morgan, was the youngest of his family.

Leonardo stared at Alexis silently, trying to determine who and what she may be. In his vision, she was an ancestor, but apart from their mutated selves, he had never heard of a non-human in the Hamato line.

_Unless the legends are real. Could she be THE Guardian?_

He searched for a name to put to the creature, realizing they'd only ever called it 'Guardian'. But it resembled a number of mythical animals, not the least of which was... A dragon.

_"She's a dragon who can eat you whole."_

Karai didn't mean a Purple Dragon. She had seen Alexis at some point—and not just as a woman.

_Was she also the creature on the building that night?_

Leonardo shivered. That beast was fearsome, with flame and flight on its side. He could not reconcile it with the fragile woman sleeping in front of him.

April re-entered the living room dressed in soft pajamas, hair dark and curly from her shower. She met his gaze and without a word padded barefoot to the kitchen. The hiss of the kettle heating was loud in the silence. A few minutes later, she returned with two mugs, handing him a steaming cup of green tea.

"Care for some company?" she asked.

At his nod, she settled herself in the opposite recliner and sipped her own beverage. Chamomile by the scent. Her eyes flashed over him then the girl on her couch. She gave a small, knowing smile.

"You want to talk about it?" she asked.

_How can I possibly explain? This girl may be a dragon. A dangerous mythical beast. Why would she come to me? And what is this need I feel in return? It's not simple guilt._

He wasn't going to say anything, but his traitorous mouth was already answering.

"Do you remember the painted screen in Splinter's receiving room?"

April seemed confused by the shift in topic, but she must recall it. As an antiquarian, she had surely asked his father its story.

"The one showing the deceit of the minister and the fall of the Hamatos from lordship?"

"Yes. What did he tell you of the Guardian?"

"It's a totem. A protector who rises when the clan suffers and cannot continue on its own. Many cultures have such legends." She studied him thoughtfully. "You think the story relates to Alexis?"

"I think it's about her. If I'm right, she _is_ the Guardian."

Another sudden realization followed and his lips twisted. A sour taste filled his mouth. A slow burn began in his chest and his muscles clenched. A rage he hadn't known he fostered roared up and fought with his guilt, burning it away in a flash of thoughtless fury.

Yet the whole mess was tinted by a strange desire. One his anger could not make peace with. He wanted to turn from her betrayal. At the same time, he longed to take Alexis in his arms.

_It doesn't make any sense._

He set his mug aside so he wouldn't break it and sat forward, trying to control his rapid breathing.

"That makes you angry?" April asked. Her observation broke his dam of self-control and the words began to flow harshly.

"Of course it does! If the Guardian is real, why didn't she help my father? Tang-Shen and Miwa, his wife and child, were the last members of the clan! The fire that killed them couldn't have been worse than what she saved me from." He glared at the woman—no, creature—lying before him and clenched his hands.

"She destroyed Yoshi. Ruined his life. My vision was right. She forsook him. Left him wandering in the darkness. I shouldn't be helping her."

April gave him a skeptical look that spoke volumes. He recognized it as one he often gave his brothers when they were being obstinate or leaping to conclusions.

"I can't interpret your vision," she said, brow furrowed in concern, "but there are several large holes in your argument. First of all, you don't know she is. The Guardian I mean. What you do know is Alexis saved your life."

That pulled him up short and extinguished the flames of anger as if they had never been, but April wasn't finished.

"Secondly, even if she is some mythical beast tied to the clan, you don't know what her responsibilities are. I doubt she's all powerful, or all knowing. Something probably went wrong. You don't have all the details. The Leonardo I know wouldn't act without them."

He flushed. She was right. He was about to make the same error he'd made with Karai, delivering judgment without ascertaining all the facts.

_If you don't learn from it, history will indeed repeat itself..._

"And most importantly," April continued, leaning towards him, "if she had saved Yoshi's family, as honorable as it would've been—you and your brothers would not exist. I can't think of a greater tragedy, for the city or for me."

He met her gaze and the solemn belief there stamped out any remaining embers of animosity. Unfortunately, that left room for the strange desire to move back in. He sighed, sat back, and covered his eyes with a hand.

"Thanks, April."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right? To give you a quick reality check every once in awhile."

"More like a swift kick in the shell," he said with a quirk of his lips, "but I needed it."

She laughed lightly and rose to head for bed. "When Casey comes in you can return the favor. He could use a kick." She frowned. "He was supposed to be back hours ago."

"I'll give him a stern talking to," Leo said with a smile.

* * *

Alexis tensed as she woke. Something soft lay under her and she was blessedly cool. Feeling far better than the last time she stirred, she tested her muscles. Most responded promptly, though her back still ached where her wing was torn.

Her stomach growled, but it was much tamer than before. She finally felt strong enough to move on her own.

She wondered how long she had been unconscious. Bright sunlight spread its morning warmth across her face, but she had no idea where she was. Still, it was a clan-brother who brought her here, so she should be relatively secure.

And she wasn't alone.

_Someone is near. Very near._

From the sounds, that someone was training—moving swiftly through a series of progressive katas she remembered well. He had been at it for some time, as his scent and sweat were thick in the air. All it took was a quick sniff to identify him.

_The warrior!_

Alexis' heart accelerated. Her red clan-brother, Raphael, said he had recovered from the explosion, but she was thrilled to see him for herself. She slitted her eyes, peering through her lashes.

He was only a few feet away, practicing in a cleared space in front of her.

His movements were as fluid and graceful as before. His wooden practice bokken cut cleanly, sending dust motes dancing in the sunbeams. Slowly, precisely, his forms flowed from intermediate to more complex; the level of mastery.

But as he was about to complete the set, he faltered. His stance was off in the middle. It was slight, but enough to keep him from reaching the ending.

She frowned and sat up. Something tugged at her wrist. A tube and needle were inserted into her vein. Making a face, she pulled them out and shook her hand to quiet the sting. Her skin, she realized was healed. Her arms were smooth and scab free. So were her legs.

_I've been out at least three days then._

The warrior hadn't seen her move. He was concentrating fully on the sequence at hand, but despite his focus, making the same errors.

"Iya! Yame," she called. "Yoi."

_'No!' and 'Stop.' 'Come to attention and reset.'_

The familiar words rolled off her tongue without thought for she had yelled those phrases thousands of times to hundreds of students. It had been many centuries since she last led someone in the ancient arts of her clan, but it still felt as natural as breathing.

Leonardo snapped towards her in surprise. Alexis narrowed her eyes, impatient to be obeyed. She gestured toward him.

"Yoi," she commanded again.

With a puzzled expression, he gave her a little bow and set himself in the first stance of the kata.

"Hajime," she said.

The warrior began again and she admired the play of his muscles, the beauty of his form as he twisted through the early motions. They were perfect, flowing easily from one position to the next, the product of many hours of training.

She watched keenly, a slight flush coloring her cheeks until he reached his misstep.

"Matte," she said.

He froze in place, waiting obediently as she glided to his side. She turned the wrist holding his practice sword outward, angled his blade a few degrees, bumped his knee in and tapped his toes to the side.

She picked up his second bokken and assumed a mirrored stance before him.

"Watashi no kōdō o mane."

Alexis closed her eyes and demonstrated the complex action, beginning where he left off. She started slowly, but as her muscles warmed the sections of the kata became so interconnected they seemed one motion.

Enthralled by the rhythm after years of stillness, she continued—shifting into even more convoluted patterns, adept level and beyond. Her body spun and whirled, incorporating deadly thrusts and hidden counters. Her blade at times disappeared, only to shock her invisible opponent as she struck under their guard.

_I'd forgotten how amazing this feels. How it quiets the mind, like deep meditation._

Suddenly, she realized the warrior hadn't followed her lead. In fact, he stood stock still. She stopped and opened her eyes.

"Wakarimasu ka?" she asked with a frown. When he remained silent she sighed and searched her memory for the English. "You understand?" she asked again, somewhat annoyed because he had acted on all her previous instructions without translation. "I ask you to repeat my... actions. Why do you not move?"

He did not answer and on second glance, she became concerned.

Leonardo's breathing was rapid, as if he'd run a marathon. His beautiful blue-grey eyes were huge. Full of awe and something deeper—richer. His gaze contained a strange heat that sparked a burning in her own core. Confusion swept through her.

_I did not summon the flames._

The unfamiliar warmth seared lower to pool between her thighs and her stomach clenched with a new kind of hunger. Tentatively, she lowered the point of her bokken and stepped towards him. Her hand reaching for his face of its own accord.

His breathing increased again, leaving him strangely vulnerable and almost panicked. But he did not pull away as she moved closer. Her fingers paused, inches from his cheek.

She had the strangest desire to experience what his skin felt like and it didn't look like he was going to object.

"Is she awake? I heard voices."

A stranger's call broke the spell. A red-haired human woman appeared in the hallway, her eyes widening in shock as she took in the scene before her.

Alexis remembered the warrior's words from the building.

_Humans do not accept him. They fear him. Want to put him in a cage._

Snarling, she sank into a crouch in front of her clan-mate and raised her sword.


	8. Break the Silence

**Break the Silence**

The woman in front of her stood firm, even though the growl emanating from Alexis' mouth was anything but natural for her current form. All dragon, it was a loud, gravelly snarl interspersed with rapid thumps of air and a cautionary whine.

Bizarrely, shock dropped from the human's expression and a careful neutrality covered her face at the sound. Alexis slunk forward, wielding the wooden blade threateningly, but the woman's confidence never wavered. A sense of ownership rolled off her. Underneath Leonardo's scent, hers was everywhere.

_She belongs here. This is her home._

Relaxing minutely, Alexis glanced at the warrior for confirmation.

Leonardo had tensed the moment she sank into her crouch, but his fevered gaze was not on the human. He examined Alexis' stance intently, his eyes flaring from one emotion to another as he fought some inner battle. He shifted towards the woman—ready to provide protection—but for whom remained unclear.

"April," he advised in a low commanding tone, "don't move."

The redhead raised a brow and shot him a sideways look which suggested that course of action was obvious.

_:Don't have anything more practical to add? Like maybe an apology for being threatened with my own practice equipment?:_

Alexis' lips twitched and she suppressed a smile as the loud, brash thought brushed the outer edges of her mind. Her gaze flicked between them. She read nothing from the warrior's thoughts, he held a strong barrier against her. But she noted the flash of ire in his eyes as he considered April's expression.

_These two share a close bond._

She blinked, invoking her second sight and scanned April again. An affectionate glow surrounded her. It wasn't magic per se, but warmth and a strength of character that could not be denied. Small offshoots of her aura streamed toward Leonardo. His blue presence met hers half way.

_This woman is clan!_

Adopted—not by oath—but by love, loyalty, and years of friendship. A gentle tug on her bond confirmed the tie as she watched the ripple echo through the warrior's aura and into April's.

The human caught her eyes and smiled. "All of Clan Hamato are welcome here."

Alexis stood down, leaning the practice blade against the couch. She pressed her palms together and gave April a respectful bow.

"Clan to Clan, you I greet," she said, finishing the age-old ritual, though it sounded odd to her ears in English. "For this home, I will treat as my own. Guard its people I will. Though it cost my life."

* * *

Leonardo sat at the Jones' kitchen table and stared into his tea, struggling to find answers. Or at least a way to organize his thoughts. He was totally unprepared for the deep emotions of the last few days. Alexis was cleaning up. April was showing her the bathroom facilities, so he had a few moments alone.

Occasionally, their low murmurs penetrated the door and drifted towards him. His friend's familiar voice carrying the bulk of the conversation, while the girl punctuated the breaks with her archaic English.

Though her answers were succinct, Leo's pulse thrilled at each. They were proof this morning happened. To say he was shocked by the turn of events was an understatement, yet he was grateful to see life in her face once more.

For days he had sat at attention in the center of the living room, barely noting the comings and goings of his friends. The family hadn't crossed his mind, except in the few hours Donatello visited. Everything he held dear shifted out of focus to make room for a new occupation.

His world narrowed to two points of intense observation. The steady rise and fall of Alexis' chest and the unmoving features of her face. Leonardo's stillness matched hers, interrupted only by the need to periodically change the vital nutrients keeping her alive.

After everything she'd sacrificed for him, he could claim honor demanded this constant vigil, but the true reason for his rapt attention ran deeper.

_We are connected somehow, Alexis and I._

Even if she hadn't featured in his vision, he would have known. She resonated against his aura, the same way his brothers did when they were hurting or in danger. But this link was something more than familial. It contained desire, distilled to its purest form. Need both spiritual and emotional.

When he gazed at her, his heart ached in a way it never had before.

_Is this how Raphael felt when he encountered Morgan? No wonder he was a mess..._

Leonardo tried to excise the emotion. It fogged his thoughts and divided his attention, so he walled it away in a small corner of his heart. But it escaped somehow. Infiltrating every part of him. A slow poison he could not halt. His worry grew as time passed, winding him tighter until he rested on a hair trigger.

_The days seemed endless, but the nights were worse._

Last night, the tension overflowed. Leo had moved abruptly from her bedside, shattering hours of stillness. Stalking to the window, he threw up the sash and stared into the night. The outside air was hot, but a breeze stroked his face and ruffled the tails of his bright blue bandanna. He drew in a deep breath, seeking balance.

The lethargy of the apartment stifled him—the same way leadership had.

Leonardo was drowning by inches under the weight on his soul. The responsibilities of his position often forced him to stand alone, shouldering the burden of difficult decisions. And it separated him more than he would like from the close bonds the rest of his family enjoyed. As each year passed, he grew increasingly unsettled.

He hadn't realized the cause of his restlessness, not until Morgan came along. Her friendship helped alleviate the strain somewhat. Allowed him to come up for air. But it wasn't enough.

Watching Morgan and Raph interact as their relationship developed was enlightening. Their true partnership offered the liberty he craved. Leo's gaze returned to the girl on the couch.

_Could my freedom possibly be so near?_

If the obsession creeping into his bones was anything to go by, it might. Yet Alexis lay like one dead. Aside from breathing, she hadn't moved. Never moaned, tossed, or made a sound. Her eyes didn't even twitch in dreaming.

Yesterday, Donnie hinted she might be in a coma. That despite her miraculous healing properties, she may have lost brain function from the head injury. Leonardo easily read between the lines of his brother's temporization. Don was warning, with as much sensitivity as he could muster, that she might not wake. Even if she did, she could be in a vegetative state.

As the hours of darkness stretched, Leo could not escape that thought. It sent him into a panic and drew him back to her silent form. He began to speak to her aloud. Secretly hoping she might follow his voice home from wherever her spirit roamed.

"Alexis," he breathed. "If you can hear me... I know. I know you are the Hamato Guardian."

When he said it, a heavy bell-like tone chimed through him. Recognition of a truth so deep it vibrated his core.

"I've been thinking a lot about why you've come. Why you chose to save—me, rather than my father's true family. At first, it made me angry, but the last few days... the whys don't seem to matter. Not if I never get to ask you."

He sighed, kneeling at her side.

"Alexis, what are you doing to me? What do you hope to accomplish? You touched me once and overwhelmed my life. Summoned visions. Invaded my dreams. I can't get you out of my head. I don't understand what it means. You have to come back. Explain it to me. Please..."

His eyes caressed her, searching for some sign she might hear his midnight confession.

After days of watching over her, every plane of her face was seared into his mind. Gradual improvements—her cheeks filling out, bruises fading, scars disappearing—were the only things which kept his existence from descending into a waking nightmare.

Leo took her hand and a tingle passed through him, a spark like electricity. Startled, he let go. The strange feeling ceased. It returned the moment he reclaimed her palm. He could not name it, but the sensation stirred something long dormant inside him.

He clutched her hand until sunrise, but she gave no response.

The reappearance of light offered him no peace. He tried meditating, but the focus required for the state eluded him. Frustrated, he turned to training to relieve the pressure of emotions he could neither name nor contain.

April gave him her bokken for practice and he began working through the sword katas. Nothing would truly chase Alexis from his mind, but for a few minutes, he was successful in concentrating on something else.

Leonardo started at the very beginning. The most basic exercises Splinter ever set for him. These simple forms brought back warm memories of his earliest days in the dojo. His father's walking stick beating a constant pattern on the concrete floor for him to follow. The others practicing their own repetitions around him.

One motion led to the next until he was performing far more complex combinations. With these, he recalled sparring, competing with his brothers, the pride of being named leader, and precious independence as they were finally allowed to explore the city.

It had been a significant time in their lives. They fought many unusual foes, discovered their first friends, and encountered their nemesis.

The threat Shredder posed could not be ignored. It was what drove Leonardo to master his art at such a young age. And yet there were levels beyond mastery he had not obtained, though it wasn't for lack of trying.

Splinter was a rare talent, but he did not know all about every weapon. At some point, his father advised, the student must surpass the teacher and become responsible for his own training.

_But so much of the art has been lost over the years. Without revealing our secret existence further, I fear there are none left to teach me._

April and Donnie tried to help. Researching ancient records for descriptions and sourcing illustrations of advanced stances, but incorporating rough sketches into actual practice was harder than he imagined. Transitions were missing. Complex footwork hardly diagramed. Still, it was important to work at it, if only to stay one step ahead of the enemy. He would try again, and keep trying until he got it right.

Leonardo honed his attention to a laser-like focus, advancing to a kata he had not perfected. His steps faltered as he reached the end of his practical knowledge and tried to interpret forms he had only seen on parchment.

_Something is wrong. My balance is off._

The farther he pushed, the worse it got. His bubble of concentration collapsed and he stumbled to a halt. He let out a gruff grunt and started again. His footwork wavered.

"No!"

The command halted him in his tracks.

"Stop! Reset!"

Leonardo whipped around and nearly lost his grip on the wooden sword. Alexis was awake! She sat on the couch regarding him through narrowed eyes.

_I didn't even hear her move._

A huge weight lifted off his chest and his heart leapt into his throat. She was upright. She was speaking, not at all disoriented or uncertain. In fact, her eyes flashed over him with the careful scrutiny of an instructor.

There was a great deal of intelligence in those eyes. She looked like Donnie when he was deep in genius mode, his concentration here, yet not here. Leonardo did a double take. Her eyes looked exactly like Donatello's, a dark chocolate brown. Not the liquid golden pools that had stuck so in his memory.

A million questions ran through his head, but speech deserted him. He couldn't force a single word past the lump in his throat.

"Reset," she commanded again. Her tone was impatient as if she expected instant obedience and was puzzled when he did not comply.

_She sounds like Splinter in full Sensei mode._

He decided to humor her. Gave a respectful little bow of apology and took up the stance again. It felt different this time, knowing her eyes were examining his every move. He tensed, nervous for no definable reason.

"Begin," she ordered.

His movements remained fluid, but they were sharper, more impactful. Her critical gaze tightened his form with its very presence. By the time he reached the third progression he was giving her his absolute best. But...

The end was looming. He could feel the imbalance building and didn't know how to correct it.

"Hold."

He froze in place and his eyes widened. Alexis appeared as if conjured to his side. She moved rapidly around him, adjusting his position with the bump of a knee, a twist of the wrist, and a tap of the toes. At every point of contact, a zing of current swept through his body.

When she finished he was perfectly centered, but he couldn't fully absorb the corrections. Too busy watching _her_ move. Alexis glided lithely, showing no sign of her previous injuries. Shifting so smoothly she didn't even disturb the air.

By the time she sinuously swept the other bokken off the floor and faced him, he was grinding his teeth to keep from panting. His shell could scarcely contain his lustful, physical response. He shifted uncomfortably.

_She makes Karai's animal magnetism seem like the awkward flirtations of a teenager!_

Unlike Shredder's adopted daughter, Alexis didn't intend to be salacious, but that only added to her appeal. She stood poised in front of him, closed her eyes, and took up the kata he had been attempting.

It was beyond anything he'd ever seen.

Graceful didn't begin to describe it. This wasn't martial arts, but an aggressive ballet performed with consummate skill. And she didn't stop at the end of the kata. She proceeded on into adept level maneuvers he couldn't even imagine.

Watching her, his emotions spiraled out of control. This was demolition of a delicate kind. A dance of destruction so elegant in form he almost _wanted_ to fall on her blade just to experience the perfection.

_She is stunning! And oh... so deadly._

Pulse pounding to the tempo of the imagined battle, all sense of time and place disappeared. The beige living room of the tiny New York apartment faded away and he was transported to the mountains of Ancient Japan.

Alexis blocked the only road through a narrow pass.

Spellbound, he watched what could only be a vision of the past. Her invisible opponents multiplied into an army. They loomed around her and his heart almost stopped at her peril. She dispatched them, one by one.

_A deadly hurricane with a single blade. Creating order out of chaos._

Wind whipped through her hair, and her eyes flared as they met his, stoking his inner fire. She gave him a bold smirk and the army wavered, vanished.

Behind her stretched a line of his ancestors: twenty deep and a hundred wide, following her motions as she taught. None reached her levels of elegance, but generations attained mastery under her firm hand. All had fevered eyes.

As the vision dissolved, Leonardo finally understood her strange draw. Confusion over his intense emotions cleared. The answer was simple. Here was the partner he'd been seeking all his life.

Alexis knew the hardships of leadership. Understood war and its aftermath. Protected the innocent. Treasured his family. Guarded their future and warded their past.

_Guardian, Warrior, Sensei—she spoke truly. She has many names._

His body and heart yearned to give her others.

_Lover. Beloved._

Beneath his harsh breathing, a low rumble sprang to life in his chest.

Reality came crashing back as Alexis planted her feet and opened her eyes. Catching him red-handed as he stared open mouthed. He flushed. Wondering if she'd heard the call and knew what it meant.

It was totally inappropriate in their current situation.

He scraped together enough control to shut his lips, but there was nothing he could do about the desire burning in his eyes.

The shaking aftermath of the vision hit. It was less powerful this time, perhaps because what he had seen was the past. Somehow, he managed to remain upright as he waited for her response to his strange behavior.

At first, she seemed irritated he hadn't followed her instructions, but something changed as she studied him. There was a flash, a mere split second when gold consumed the chocolate of her iris and her pupils slitted.

Her face morphed into a puzzled expression.

Alexis moved toward him and his panting increased. The room suddenly became too warm as she reached for his cheek, a thousand questions in her eyes.

Leonardo fought a fierce internal battle as her fingertips neared, certain the panic was showing on his face. If she touched him, that electric spark would fly between them. And in his current state of over-arousal, it would be hard to stop himself from crossing a line.

A line she might not be aware of, though it was all too apparent to him.

_What if this powerful attraction I feel isn't mutual?_

Alexis may not understand human desire, or know what to do with it. He wasn't her species—dragon, guardian, whatever it was. Her action might only be driven by concern for his welfare.

_An overture of affection could disgust her. And what I want is far more than an overture..._

It was also quite probable she was spoken for. He could not imagine someone so talented, gorgeous, and fiercely exhilarating living alone for so long.

_A thousand years._

Ice washed through his veins. In that light, his desire was foolish.

_She must see me as no more than a child._

He should excuse himself and walk away. Reject the temptation to surrender his heart. But it was too late for distance. The mating call proved that.

_I am already undone._

Leonardo's phone went off, startling him from his deep reverie just as April had interrupted them earlier that morning—keeping Alexis from touching him.

His blood heated again at the memory. Happy no one was around to see him flush a second time. He shuddered and felt his mental shield slip a little under the emotional onslaught.

Morgan's brother was hanging around a lot more these days and shielding had become a necessary habit. The feyian had an unnerving tendency to eavesdrop mentally if they didn't.

_:I need a cold shower.:_

The thought couldn't clear his thick desire. His mind merely painted Alexis in there with him. Arms clasped about his neck, lips locked to his. The water running from her hair, caressing her shoulders. The slick feel of her hips as he reached out and pulled her ever tighter against his front...

A small shriek from the bathroom diverted his attention. He whipped about to stare at the door, but nothing else occurred and no one called for help.

He cleared his throat to pick up the still ringing call.

"Any change?" Raphael asked before Leo could even speak his name.

Leonardo's shields slammed back into place as his brother's tone put him on guard and brought him to full alert.

"Morgan's showing signs another attack might be coming," Raph said. "Her fever's back an' the shaking's gettin' worse. She needs another dose—an' if the girl's still out, well..."

"Well what?"

A long, uncomfortable pause floated across the airwaves. Leo waited to see what his brother would say, pretty sure from the hesitation it was going to make him angry.

"Donnie told us she might not wake up," Raph admitted. His usual rough growl was hushed in sympathy and sounded almost pleading. "I don't wanna take somethin' as personal as blood without her permission, but dammit, Leo, I will if I have too."

Leonardo suppressed a snarl. Up until a few days ago, there was nothing he wouldn't do to spare his sister pain, but this was pushing it. Despite the fact Raphael rescued Alexis, he didn't understand who she was, or what she meant to him.

_And if the donor was some other unconscious girl? I would agree with him._

But Alexis _wasn't_ anyone else and the mere prospect of such a plan offended him. It was a good thing for his brother she was awake.

" _You_ will keep your hands to yourself," Leo said in an icy tone. "I'll ask her opinion when she gets out of the shower."

"She's up? Moving?" Raphael was startled. "What if she says no?"

"She's almost entirely recovered, thanks for asking," Leonardo said, voice heavy with sarcasm. "It's her choice, Raph. But trust me, she won't refuse. Not if it saves a Hamato life."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the hot-head asked.

Leo glanced up as April entered the kitchen and his eyes widened. She was wet from head to toe. Her pale shirt stuck haphazardly to her front, her jeans were plastered to her legs, and her socks squelched as she headed for the stove.

She snatched up a hand towel and dabbed somewhat ineffectively at her sopping hair, a most bewildered look on her face.

"Ah, Raph? I have to go. We'll come home as soon as it's dark. Call me back if Morgan gets worse."

He hung up quickly.

"April? What happened?"

To his surprise, her face turned a shocking shade of red. Not much could shake April's cool after years of teasing by his brothers and he couldn't imagine what would cause this reaction.

"A cultural misunderstanding," April said at last. "I think I'll let Alexis explain the details."

She peeled off her socks and shuffled her feet down the hall towards her bedroom, drying her soles on the carpet. "We heading down tonight?" She called through the door as she changed out of her dripping things.

"Not until late. There won't even be shadows until eight, but Morgan's getting worse again. We can't put it off."

"Well, that will give us plenty of time to talk."

April came back in dry garments and continued to blot her hair with a larger towel from the linen closet. "You were right, by the way," she added.

"I usually am"—Leo shot her a smirk—"But what specifically are we discussing this time?"

She snapped the towel at him and it hit his plastron with a smack.

"Alexis," April said with a wry grin. "She is the Hamato Guardian."

Instantly, he became more serious. "She told you?" He was absolutely certain but was surprised the girl admitted it.

"Not in so many words," she said. "But this morning's standoff? That was her protecting you from me."

"Why did she think I needed protection?" he asked, raising his brows.

"Evidently, you told her humans would put you in a cage."

Leo grimaced. "I did say that. But"—he held up a hand to stall the tart rejoinder he saw hovering on her lips—"I was incapacitated at the time."

April grinned. "Uh-huh. Well, she apologized for threatening me, but what gave her away was the response to my welcome. Her translation was stilted, but it's the same basic ritual exchange Splinter taught me when we were going over your history."

"Splinter..."

Leonardo groaned. All the 'why's' he dismissed earlier came rushing back to him. Now they felt a lot more important. What would his father make of the Guardian who failed to protect his beloved human family?

"Leo, It will be alright," April said, leaning forward to rest a hand on his knee. As usual, she saw right through him. "For whatever reason, she couldn't save _them_. But she did save _you._ And Splinter loves you four so much it almost breaks my heart. He will not condemn her out of hand. Besides, she's going to help his grandchild."

The ghost of a smile crossed Leo's face at that, for Splinter had been more excited than any of them to learn of Morgan's pregnancy. He had literally leapt from his chair and danced with joy, stunning his sons.

For days he took Raph aside for private 'training sessions,' which were really lectures on how to be a good father. Raphael had rolled his eyes and grinned like a fool the whole time, while the rest of them were put to work baby-proofing their sewer home.

Now, their master walked around almost listlessly, his face set in a near-permanent crease of worry. Splinter would probably forgive anything if it saved his daughter and her baby.

Leonardo frowned at the parallels of a Hamato mother and child in peril. Particularly ones related so closely to his father. Fate rarely smiled on them. The thrice damned 'turtle luck', as his brothers had taken to calling it over the years, always tried to rip away whatever happiness they found.

_We can't lose them._

He set it from his thoughts. Donnie said Alexis could make it right. He would ask her to cure this, beg her if he must. Offer anything to make it happen.

_But after it's over? What then?_

The Guardian had been a myth for hundreds of years. She would live for hundreds more.

_How can I hope she will stay?_

* * *

Alexis sighed and sat gingerly on April's guest bed. Ostensibly, she was in here to rest. Really, she needed time to regain her equilibrium. The longer she was in Leonardo's company the odder she felt.

She spent the better part of the previous few hours enthralled by the story of his unusual birth and the change it brought to their father, her missing human clansman.

_Apparently, he isn't human anymore._

It hurt her to learn just how deeply she had failed him. Not only had she breached her oath and almost lost the Hamatos in their entirety, she didn't locate him fast enough to protect him from the effects of this 'mutagen'.

Of course, she appreciated what it had done for the clan—creating his sons, continuing the line. They were amazingly evolved beings. Intelligent and compassionate with individual talents which made each unique. One specimen, in particular, fascinated her.

As Leonardo told his tale, she was unable to tear her gaze away. His eyes glowed with such passion and his muscles trembled with hardly constrained outrage at the fate which had befallen the one he called father and master.

These observations caused strange stirrings inside her.

She brushed them off, attributing most to anxiety about Splinter's reaction to their upcoming meeting. For Leonardo wished her to visit their underground home.

They had a sister, the warrior explained. The mate of Raphael, her red-banded clan-brother. She suffered from a strange illness. One which threatened her life and the life of her unborn child. It appeared much improved after she accidentally came in contact with Alexis' blood, but the positive effects were wearing off.

Leonardo asked if she would meet the girl, obviously hoping she would offer treatment. The sorrowful gleam in his gaze begged her to say yes. Even if her oath hadn't compelled her to aid a clan member in need, she couldn't have refused.

_I cannot deny those eyes..._

They stopped her heart and drew her in at the same time. They burned her in a way she didn't understand.

_He could ask anything of me and I would give it. But there are questions better left unanswered._

So she nodded shortly, pled exhaustion, and retreated before he requested something she should not grant.

Alone, at last, she diverted her attention from Leonardo to his master. She could not atone for her mistakes where he was concerned. Nevertheless, it was long past time to break the silence and offer him her life in service; for as long as he would have her.

As she pondered on how best to accomplish such a task, a long buried memory surfaced. She had something that might ease their introduction. It would have to be presented in a state of abject apology, and she would have to slip out to retrieve it, but on second and even third thought, it would be worth the effort.

Cautiously, she rose, checked the location of the others and pushed the door shut. This shouldn't take more than a few moments—at least, not here. Time flowed a little differently where she was going.

_I will be back well before they miss me._

In the blink of an eye, she shifted form. It was a tight fit in the small bedroom. Alexis ended up covering the bed, the night tables, and most of the floor space. But only a full dragon, or those physically touching one, could enter EllzWeyr.

She kept rigid control of her wings, feet, and tail, to avoid knocking anything off that might bring one of the others running. Parting the veil with her snout, she disappeared into the flexing, glowing colors beyond.

* * *

Alexis rolled her eyes, examining the tunnel around her nervously as Leonardo and April led her farther into the earth. She had completed her earlier errand with none the wiser and waited patiently for the sun to set. Now they were headed for the Hamato's den. The lair, the warrior had named it.

But... Something was bothering her.

She was comfortable enough underground, even in human form. Her own preferred nest was a cave blacker than this one and she saw superbly in the dark, so it wasn't that.

It wasn't the smell either. Though it was strong, she simply held her breath. She could go for hours on the barest traces of oxygen and her lungs were long used to thin air and intermittent breathing from flying high in the atmosphere.

No, her trepidation originated from the growing anxiety of the warrior in front of her. He kept it hidden well, but small signals betrayed his agitation. The tension of his muscles, the tone of his voice, the furrow of his brow—these spoke volumes.

Leonardo was talking to a device which April said was called a cell phone. While Alexis had encountered telephones during her search for Splinter years ago, this was definitely an advancement of the technology. Without wires, it seemed almost like magic, but much more convenient; allowing creatures to converse at a distance without telepathy or the hassle of summoning a minor elemental.

However, the conversation was disturbing her clan-mates, and she wanted to know why.

The warrior was speaking much too fast for her to keep up with his stream of English, so she resorted to picking the translation straight out of April's head. She felt a little guilty for invading the woman's privacy, but when she heard the news, all such thoughts fled.

_Raphael says we are being tracked._

A companion who could sense such things reported a disturbance in the warp and weft composing the tapestry of this world.

_Something entered. Something large. A predator._

It hunted them. Following as they returned home.

Rage overwhelmed her. Alexis' eyes flared gold and her hands twisted until they resembled talons. Luckily, the two in front of her were too busy to notice the momentary loss of control.

She stopped dead and let them outpace her, gauging the distance between them carefully. When they were out of sight, she would deal with this threat. And gods help whatever it was, because she wasn't feeling merciful.

_Nothing is allowed to stalk my family! Especially not when I'm so close to uniting with them all at last._

She glanced behind her, down the corridor. Few things were brave enough to stand up to an enraged dragon. Once it caught her scent it would likely flee. If not, she would shred it to ribbons.

But, she hadn't accounted for the warrior's protective streak. When she turned to check on their forward progress, she found April and Leonardo returning. He'd hung up the phone and his gaze was guarded as he scanned around her constantly.

"Alexis, we need to keep moving," he murmured. "Allies are coming to back us up, but we shouldn't make a stand until we know who, or what, the enemy is."

"That, I will discover," she said.

Blowing out the breath she held, she inhaled—searching for any abnormalities. Her senses were acute, far better than theirs could ever be. Despite the stench, if the creature was at all near, she would identify it.

Her eyes widened as the scent hit her hard.

She snatched a katana from Leonardo and in two quick moves, maneuvered the turtle and April into a small alcove in the wall. Placing herself in the entry, she pinned them away from the danger.

It was worse than she imagined. Not one, but two foes were approaching fast. Formidable opponents, even for a dragon.

_Particularly for a dragon._

They were immortals wielding powerful magic. Ones who hunted her kind for sport. Her scent must have drawn them, but they were going to get more fight than they bargained for.

Alexis was no hundred-year-old whelp culled from the herd to be threatened by such as these. She had existed for a thousand years and knew every trick, every move they might try. Even in human form, she could take them—as long as they couldn't get at her back.

A menacing growl echoed through the darkness. She answered with a huffing snarl of her own. She didn't shift entirely, but her skin rippled, replacing tender flesh with her armored scales.

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a ball of pure flame and tossed one down the tunnel in each direction, lighting it so the mortals could see as well as she.

Behind her April stifled a gasp as the light revealed her change, reflecting off the purples and blues of her skin with an iridescent shimmer. But the warrior was not distracted. He drew his remaining sword and handed a vicious looking dagger to the human. April sank into a crouch, clearly well versed in its use.

Alexis nodded her approval that none were left unarmed and turned her attention again to the opening. For a moment, the path was empty. No sound echoed. No movement drew the eye.

A booming voice came out of nowhere, distorted by hatred.

"Dragon!" it roared. "You dare to threaten my family? Prepare to die!"

A long, hair-raising howl echoed the sentiment as the fabric of dimensions split blackly in front of where she stood.

Alexis did not reply.

_I have my own family to consider._

Grimly, she gripped her blade and swung.


	9. Bitter Hearts

"Raphael?"

Morgan huddled against the wall and patted the other side of the bed with an outstretched hand searching for her cooler mate as she stirred uncomfortably. This illness made her hot and cold by turns and her skin burned with fever. Panic seized her when she realized his side was empty.

_:He is near.:_ came the instant reassurance. _:The next room.:_

A wet nose dipped into the palm of her hand and a rough tongue licked its way up over her wrist in concern.

_:You are worse, Mistress. This heat is not natural.:_

Sleepily, Morgan extended her arm and hugged the fuzzy neck, scratching the ears being tilted in her direction in obvious invitation. The contact soothed her despite the added warmth of the furry body.

"I'll cool down," she said, not wanting the Huntress to worry. "Are they here?"

_:Soon. It is not quite dark.:_

"I hope she likes me."

_:It matters not:_

"It does," Morgan said, "She's got to save the baby."

_:No, she has to bleed.:_ The shoulders under her hand shrugged. _:If she does not comply I will make her. Or your Match will. His claws are plenty sharp.:_

"Raphael will do no such thing!" she said, pushing the Huntress away.

The large fox took her hand in gentle teeth and shook lightly to make a point.

_:You underestimate him, Mistress. He will do what is necessary to protect you and his pup.:_

"Leonardo won't let him."

_:The Alpha values you, he may allow it.:_

"Well, I don't! You are not to threaten this woman, understand? We need her help. Besides, Donnie said she isn't human. What if she hurts you? Or the family?"

_:There are many non-humans in this world. Animals, daemons, elementals, spirits. Few are dangerous to the likes of us. The Feyian and their companions are respected and feared. She will submit to your demand if she has any sense at all.:_

"I'm not like that," Morgan said.

_:You are Mistress Mauriagonna. Only daughter of House Ternellacentrine. They disobey you at their peril.:_

"Angel?" Raphael called from the door. The distress in her voice caused him to interrupt the debate. "How are you feeling?"

Before she could blink he was at her side; resting a cool palm on her forehead. At his glare, the fox retreated to stand guard in the hall.

"You're burning up." He wet a cloth in a nearby bowl and laid it over her eyes. "Hang on, sweetie. Leo's gonna wake the girl so they can get started. Soon we can put all this behind us."

She nodded and he stroked her face in a tender caress.

As his fingers grazed her temple, a shudder ran down her spine that had nothing to do with her sickness. They hadn't known each other long, not even a year. Sometimes that felt like a moment, sometimes a lifetime. Either way, she couldn't get enough of his company.

_We belong together... we just have to get through this rough patch._

For there was a source of unspoken tension between them. The baby. He supported her totally, every second of her illness. But... she read bitterness in his aura. Resentment for the way the pregnancy put her at risk.

It wasn't that he didn't want the child. Family was everything to him and he was so damn proud when she first told him. He simply couldn't stand the thought of losing her so he wouldn't legitimize it. He ducked her questions about names and turned their conversations away from the immediate future. Unless it had to do with her 'cure.'

_I'm tired of rehashing all those possible outcomes. I want to reignite his joy._

She needed to feel the light return to his presence. Rekindle his original enthusiastic anticipation of the event. The problem was, she wasn't sure exactly how to accomplish that. However, Donatello learned something in his last scan which might help. She had sworn him to secrecy and kept the secret close, waiting for the right time to share. With hope of a cure on the horizon, now seemed perfect.

_But how to tell him? I'll have to phrase it just right. Keep him off guard..._

She pulled the cloth from her eyes and reached for his face to read his expression as she let her voice slide into the soft cadence she reserved for their bedroom activities.

"Raphael, you like girls... don't you?"

His brow ridges shot up. She dropped her hand to cup his cheek and his larger one rose to engulf hers, pressing it tight to his face. His mouth drew up in a sexy sideways smirk and he tilted his head to kiss her palm.

Illness often made her lustful so he wasn't too surprised. Their trysts triggered her inbuilt biological healing mechanisms and, so far, were the only things correcting her horrible symptoms. He probably thought the fever was affecting her.

"I think I've proven I do"—he let his voice drop huskily since they were alone—"You worried having another woman in the lair is gonna turn my head?"

He was only teasing but her smile fell away. "It might."

His brows drew together and he frowned at her serious tone.

"Not on your life," he rumbled. "No otha' girl will ever steal my attention from ya."

"No?"

"No."

She arched a brow.

"Not even your daughter?"

There was silence and Raphael's aura pulsed through a variety of emotions. Anger at her mistrust turned to shock before becoming overwhelming joy.

"My daughter?" he whispered, stunned.

"It's a girl," Morgan said, rubbing her other hand over her stomach and smiling shyly. "I thought, if Splinter wouldn't mind, we might call her Miwa?"

He drew in a choked breath and his lips crashed into hers in passionate agreement.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

A half-hour later, the Huntress whined and stuck her head in the bedroom door.

_:The Master comes. He is angry/fierce/scared.:_

"Brenna?"

Morgan groaned at the way the fox couldn't decide on an emotion. Why did more bad news hit them just when things were looking up?

"I heard," Raphael said, rising from where he curled around her. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Whatever the problem is, I'll handle it."

"You can't," Brenellean said, striding into the room like he owned it. "Not alone."

"You ever hear of knocking?" Raph snarled. "Or think of maybe NOT barging in when she's so ill?"

The Feyian shot him a shocked glare. "You would leave her uninformed?"

"I said I would take care of it! You're stressing her out. Back off!"

"It's ok, love," Morgan patted Raphael's arm with a sigh. Brenna was a stickler for protocol. In the Feyian world, women ruled and leaving her out of the loop was criminal. "I'll hear what he has to say."

As odd as it felt, the fastest way to get answers, and peace, was to give permission.

"Where is Leonardo?" Brenellean asked.

"On his way back with the cure," Raph answered with an aggressive growl. "Ya know? The girl I found."

Her brother grimaced. "You must go meet them. They are in danger."

"I spoke ta Leo not half an hour ago," Raphael said. "They're fine."

The Feyian bared his pointed canine teeth and shook his head.

"They are not. Boundaries have been broken nearby."

"What kind?"

"Dimensional, spacial—there is no adequate word in your tongue."

"So, you're worried 'cause someone followed ya here?"

"This creature is not one of us," Brenellean snapped. "It is old and powerful and nurses a great hatred for our kind. I fear it may track Leonardo seeking Mauriagonna or I. If it is angry enough, it might attack him in the tunnels."

"How do you know?"

"It came from EllzWeyr."

Raphael raised a brow as the Huntress sank to her belly and growled in response.

"So... that's bad?"

_:Only one creature can tear the Veil between this world and there. They have battled us for many, many turns. They WILL inflict whatever injury they can.:_

The impression of time Morgan received from the fox wasn't years or decades but...

"Centuries?" she blurted out, clutching Raphael's palm tight. "You've been at war with these things for hundreds of years?"

"We have long lives," the Feyian said with a grim expression, "and longer memories."

"Don't worry, angel," Raph said, squeezing her hand. "We've got this."

He glared at Brenellean.

"Do somethin' useful for once. Stay with her. Don't leave her side for an instant."

Spinning on his heel, he headed for the door calling, "Donnie! Mikey! Red Alert!"

There was a rapid, whispered conversation in the main room and Raphael dialed his phone before the auras of the three brothers moved rapidly into the tunnels. Raph's voice fading as he ran.

"Brenna," Morgan asked as her brother stroked back her sweat soaked hair. "What is it? What do you think is coming for us?"

He hesitated, but eventually sighed and answered, "A dragon."

"A DRAGON? The kind who breathe fire and—"

"Calm yourself, little one. I will not let it harm thee or thy child."

"I'm not worried about me! You just sent my whole family out there to fight a dragon!"

In a panic, she flung her consciousness beyond the lair. She knew it might escalate her illness, but she had to assess the danger. She brushed over Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael; seeking further, searching for the leader's unique essence.

It didn't take long to find him. Leonardo and April were headed home at a ground-eating pace. Unfortunately, they were still several minutes from meeting up with the others. Behind them lurked a large, terrifying presence.

_:Mauriagonna, withdraw! It will sense thee!:_

Brenellean's frantic thought yanked her back and she grabbed his arm in frightened despair.

"You have to help them! They don't know what it is and it's almost on top of them!"

"I will not leave thee undefended."

"Brenna, nothing's here to hurt me, but they are about to be eaten!"

"No," he said. "When they fall, I will be the only one left to protect you."

"Splinter can stand guard."

"One mortal cannot hold against this beast," he protested.

_:Then we must stop it before it reaches her.:_ The Huntress said, snapping her jaws.

Brenellean glared at the fox but surrendered with a snarl. "I will fetch the Master to attend you."

"I am already here," Splinter said, crossing from the door. "Go! My children are in peril and we cannot afford to lose this cure."

When he still hesitated, Morgan pushed herself up on her elbow and tried to mimic Leonardo's tone when he spoke with absolute authority.

"Brenellean," she commanded, "Go!"

His eyes hardened but he turned away with a slight bow and drew a line in the air with his finger. The edges curled back revealing the intense black of Shadow and the Huntress darted in. As he moved to follow, Morgan's bravado collapsed.

"Brenna?" she called in a small voice. He paused glancing over his shoulder. "Be careful."

He blew her the mental equivalent of a kiss and reached deep into her thoughts.

Adoration and overwhelming affection wrapped itself around her soul. Flashes of distant memory flooded her mind. Nights, long ago, when he held her as a baby, rocking her to sleep—his voice raised in a soft lullaby—combined with a promise of eternity.

Behind it all hovered suppressed fear covered with determination.

_:I will always love and guard thee, little one. No matter what comes to pass.:_

Morgan gasped as the emotions hit her hard and her brother stepped into Shadow. As he disappeared, Master Splinter gathered her in his arms and she sobbed into his neck.

Brenellean didn't believe he was coming back.

* * *

Raphael ran with the others pounding at his heels, cursing the fates. Morgan's cure was so close, but 'turtle luck' being what it was, a monster had to enter the mix.

Ahead, the sound of metal striking metal echoed and a deep guttural snarl added speed to his steps. Flickering at the next intersection drew his gaze and as he rounded the corner he was almost blinded by a ball of fire hovering a mere foot off the floor.

"Woah!"

He shoved Michelangelo to the side and they scraped against the wall, barely avoiding the flaming boobie trap. Donatello went airborne, vaulting over it with his bo to land in the center of the tunnel.

Not ten feet from them, April crouched defensively in an alcove with nothing but a knife while Brenellean engaged a humanoid creature covered in iridescent scales.

_Damn it! I know he can travel fast through Shadow, but I told him not to leave Morgan!_

The two in front of him traded blows with incredible speed. The Feyian wielded an odd half-sword made of a black, shiny material. Its length perfect for tunnel fighting. His opponent held a suspiciously familiar katana.

Raph's heart kicked into high gear and he licked lips gone dry.

_Where's Fearless? That sword is one of his favorites. He'd never leave it in the hands of an enemy... he'd attack fiercely and take it back!_

His stomach heaved as he came to an appalling conclusion.

_Brenellean's here because Morgan felt Leo fall._

He swallowed bile and his vision went red. Without further thought, he lunged at the creature's back, sai poised to strike upward through its lungs. If its anatomy was anything like theirs, it would be a fatal blow.

_The fiend can drown in its own blood._

"Raph, NO!"

An orange and green blur rammed into his side. Michelangelo grabbed his arm as they collided violently, but the tip of his sai still found its mark. The pointed weapon scored a line from spine to shoulder across the creature as he fell.

Angrily, Raphael twisted to his feet. "Mikey! What was that?"

"DUDE! You just stabbed Alexis!"

Raphael's head jerked around and he stared in horror. The thing fighting the Feyian didn't look at all like the dying girl he found on the rooftop. Cloaked in colored scales and moving like lightening, she brandished Leo's katana in a flurry of strokes the leader himself could not reproduce.

His blow hadn't even made her pause as she drove Brenellean back, step-by-step, into a branching of the pipe.

_What the fuck is going on?_

Once the struggling pair cleared the intersection, he spotted his missing brother's shell on the far side and a huge weight lifted from him.

Leonardo stood with arms spread wide to divert the Huntress. Each time the oversized fox darted for Alexis, he blocked her by the simple expedient of throwing himself bodily in front of her.

"Brenellean?" Raphael called in confusion. "Leo? What's happening?"

Nobody paid him any attention. Raphael's eyes narrowed and his temper flared. He hated not understanding. He hated feeling left out. And he HATED being ignored. He drew a deep breath.

"WILL EVERYBODY JUST FREAKIN' HOLD IT!"

Silence fell as his bellow rang through the corridor. As a body, they snapped around to face him. Even Alexis turned, but Brenellean failed to halt his final blow. The strange black sword caught the edge of her hip carving a crescent down her thigh.

The searing hiss of a blacksmith quenching iron and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Alexis screamed.

Raphael had never heard such a sound. It was not the shout of a human woman but the high pitched shriek of an injured beast, loud enough to break glass. He flinched, his hands moving automatically to his head to block the cacophony.

Even the immortals covered their ears. The Huntress whined, turning hers back at the cry, but the effect on Leonardo was astounding. He stiffened as if struck by an electric shock and whirled around with murder in his gaze.

In an instant he stood at Alexis' side, catching her before she fell. He spun her out of reach of the Feyian's sword; placing himself between them. His eyes were flat and reflected nothing but cold steel as he pressed the tip of his blade to Brenellean's throat.

"Don't move," Leo ordered through clenched teeth. "Donnie? See to her."

The genius rushed forward to support Alexis' weight, shifting her arm over his shoulders as she limped towards the wall. He lowered her carefully to the floor and April was right behind him pulling a handful of first aid supplies from his duffle bag.

Michelangelo stepped between them and the Feyian, nunchucks drawn, following Leonardo's lead without question.

"Leo," Raph warned, approaching the volatile situation cautiously from the side, "That's Morgan's brother. Don't do anything stupid—"

"Be wary!" Brenellean interrupted, ignoring the sword. "She is a dragon, born to sew mischief!"

"Bro, cool it," Michelangelo scoffed. "She isn't a Purple Dragon. I mean, she is currently a purple-y bluish color, but she's not a gang... OH—"

Mikey's eyes went wide in shocked excitement and he turned to face Alexis directly. "You really are a dragon? Like with fire and everything?"

At her pained nod, he did a little happy dance.

"Dragons are real!" he murmured to himself.

Raphael shot his youngest sibling a dark glare for his antics but couldn't cover his own surprise at the revelation. Donnie, however, was annoyed.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Brenellean?" Donatello asked, glaring over his shoulder. "I just got her put back together!"—he shook his head in condemnation—"This is more than a cut, it's an acid burn. What did this?"

The Feyian seemed confused by their reactions but held out his odd knife. It was wedge shaped, almost two feet long, and had a slight hook at the end.

"Silverthorn," he said. "One of the few things that will penetrate dragonhide."

"That or shrapnel powered by a shitload of C4," Don muttered.

"Why are you wasting time with this beast?" Brenellean asked, frustration finally getting the better of him. "Let me finish it off so we can return safely with the cure."

Leonardo growled and his sword point snicked closer to the Feyian's windpipe. A thin runnel of blood ran down his neck.

"Touch her again and I _will_ end you."

Brenellean froze, suddenly realizing the danger of his situation.

_If either of them flinches it will all be over._

Raphael's brother wouldn't flinch. His hand was steady as a rock.

"Raph," Leo commanded, "take that _thing_ away from him,"

He waited until Raphael secured the hooked thorn then sheathed his katana and leaned forward with an unrelenting stare.

"This woman"—Leonardo stated with emphasis—"may not be human but she saved my life. And she holds the key to saving your sister's as well."

"You wish to expose Mauriagonna to dragon's blood?" Brenellean gasped. "You dishonor her!"

Leonardo reared back at the accusation and again rested a hand on his sword.

"Never," Raphael said.

"You'd rather she died?" Mikey asked.

"You have no idea how many of us she has killed," Brenellean snarled. "Female dragons rampage through whole towns, destroying everyone in sight! You blight my sister with such a cure."

"Though our races are at war, tooth and claw of mine have not been raised towards your blood until today. But what of you?"—Alexis fixed a stubborn glare on Brenellean—"Know you the numbers of dragons your people have destroyed?"

She nodded when he refused to answer, turning his face away.

"We are not many, Feyian. Our children fewer still. Perhaps three are welcomed each lifetime. Yet your warriors still hunt our youngsters to prove their worth. Is it of great surprise the mothers seek retribution?"

She sighed and sat up painfully as Donnie finished his ministrations.

"I've done the best I can here, Leo," Donatello said. "The wound self-cauterized and should stay sealed if we're careful. I'll have to see what more I can do back at home."

"Killing baby dragons?" Michelangelo said. "Not cool, dude."

He glared at Brenellean and offered Alexis a hand, pulling her carefully upright. She attempted to put weight on the offending leg and winced when it didn't hold. Mikey ducked under her arm in time to keep her supported as it collapsed.

"At least your strike didn't seem to her hurt her, Raph," he added.

Raphael groaned inwardly as Leonardo swung around to pierce him with a hard stare.

"What was I supposed to do?" Raph asked. "She had your sword. I thought you'd gone down. An' you gotta admit, she don't look much like the girl I left with April. She's got scales an'... she's purple."

"Her color gives lie to her words," Brenellean said. "One of her bloodline would not withdraw from a fight."

"Your war is young," Alexis said, letting her armor change back into human-like skin. She hissed as the transformation pulled at the wound. "I am not. Many such have I seen. Those between mortals and immortals, and others among ancient races who should know better. Long before your conflict, I changed my calling. Tied now I am to another people. A worthier people. One whose future is worth fighting for."

"Speaking of the future," Donatello said. "We need to get home. Morgan's not getting any better for us sitting here."

"You're not taking her to the lair," Brenellean said, stepping forward threateningly. "Mauriagonna can not be exposed to such filth."

"Mind your place," Leo said, his voice dangerously icy.

It was a tone Raph had only ever heard him use when addressing their mortal enemy. Fatally calm, it was a deceptive suppression of fury which, when unleashed, was far worse than Raphael's own.

"You are a guest here. You do not control who I will and will not invite to my home."

"Worry not," Alexis said, glancing anxiously at Leonardo's face then away as if she could feel the volcanic tension about to erupt. She pulled her arm from Mikey's shoulders, ignoring his protest, and seated herself again on the floor.

"No interest have I in provoking needless hatred. If this Feyian and his sibling do not bode you ill, for the sake of peace, stay away I will—until they depart. Leave me here but a small time. I will heal on my own."

"Not alone!" Mikey said.

"No," Don said. "Your wound will scar if I don't neutralize the acid."

Leonardo said nothing but the expression on his face made it clear leaving her wasn't an option.

"My Morgan needs you now," Raphael said, glaring at Brenellean. "I ain't about to pass up a chance to save her just 'cause the method offends his tender sensibilities."

"Your Morgan?" Alexis' eyes widened and her voice rose as she turned to Leonardo. "Your injured sister, his mate, is Feyian? This you did not disclose!"

"I didn't think it would matter," Leo said, kneeling beside her.

His brother's voice, Raph noticed, softened considerably when addressing the girl and he bit his tongue to keep from interrupting with a furious 'I told you so.' It wouldn't be productive. Besides, Leo could be extremely persuasive. If anyone might convince her to change her mind it would be him.

"She is the sweetest person you'll ever meet," Leonardo pleaded, lowering his head respectfully. "A clan member in everything but name, carrying a Hamato child. Please, Alexis, our next generation depends on your assistance."

* * *

Alexis' heart ached worse than her leg as Leonardo fell to his knees at her side, practically begging for aid. The pain in his luminous eyes was genuine. He truly cared for his sister. Would do anything to help her, but this just wasn't possible.

Yet saying so felt like betrayal.

"She's dying," Leonardo said. "Please..."

"Warrior, my last drop of heart's blood I would grant to save your loved ones. But the Feyian can not accept the... gift."

"Vile beast!" Brenellean spat. "Do not raise their hopes. You would never fulfill such a promise."

"You're accusing her of lying?"

Leonardo's voice sounded wrong. Completely flat.

Alexis' eyes snapped to his face as he slowly climbed to his feet but his profile was absolutely smooth, revealing nothing. She blinked and blinked again. His aura was gone and his eyes frightened her. She recognized his blank look. Had seen it in the faces of enemies about to self-destruct.

She needed to stop this argument now or the warrior would take rather permanent steps to defend her honor and possibly be injured or killed in the process.

"Dragons seek only our destruction," the Feyian said.

"For you, I care nothing!" Alexis said, trying to regain control of the situation. She struggled again to her feet and Leonardo turned quickly to support her, distracted from his almost hypnotic analysis of the enemy.

"For them, I would die," she continued, "for I am a Guardian and the Hamatos are my chosen clan. Their existence is my only goal."

A stunned silence met her statement but it had the desired effect. The Feyian quit his taunting and emotion returned to Leonardo's face. It was not the reaction of shocked surprise she expected. It was more an expression of respectful pride.

"You knew?" she asked.

"I knew," the warrior replied.

She flushed under his appreciative gaze.

_What is wrong with me?_

"The Hamato Guardian?" Donatello asked. "I thought it was allegory, a bedtime story."

"So were magical fighting elves," Mikey interjected. "Buuuut—"

He gestured at Brenellean in his glistening armor as living proof.

"There are no more Guardians." Apparently, the Feyian was not quite ready to let the battle go. "They disbanded when the Council of Eight collapsed."

"My oath rests not with them and I need not their guidance," Alexis said with a frown. "As long as any Hamato lives, I am bound."

"If ya are our guardian," Raphael said, "help Morgan for me. That way ya don't have ta worry about Brenellean accepting your gift."

"Misunderstand, you do," Alexis said. "His prejudice matters not. Dragon blood is helpful to mortals and I would gladly give her all I have to extend the life of the line, but there are"—she paused to search for a word, frustrated—"pieces in it Feyian bodies act badly with."

"Antigens," Donatello said. "Their immune system treats the blood as a foreign invader."

"Yes," Alexis nodded, relieved someone understood.

"Bullshit!" Raph protested. "It helped her before! An' she's only half Feyian, right Donnie? It's the human part dyin'."

Alexis couldn't believe her ears.

_Half Feyian and pregnant?_

She knew the race was licentious. Though they were purists they tended to dally with whomever they pleased until they were Matched. The half-breeds which resulted were usually kept quiet and out of site. None were fertile.

She hadn't bothered to explain that little issue since she didn't think she could help anyway, but any resulting offspring between Raphael and a Feyian would not be able to procreate.

_If she is pregnant, she cannot be half mortal. Perhaps she is lying to him. Trying to pass off a foreign child as his. But she cannot lie to me. I must see this woman. I will know if the babe is indeed a Hamato._

"Alexis?" Leonardo sounded concerned. Her mental preoccupation had not gone unnoticed. His voice softened. "Do you need to sit down?"

"Soon. I—I need food and a quiet place to recover, but I wish to meet your sister. There is much going on here that is... strange."

"Antigens, antigens..." Donatello was mumbling. "Antigens react with antibodies in a unique pairing, stimulating the immune system, in most cases causing inflammatory, protective, or allergic reactions..."

He caught Leonardo's eye. "I need to return to the lab and run some tests. With your permission Alexis, of course. There could be an answer here, but it needs more research."

Leonardo nodded. "Pack it in, team," he said before turning to her. "Alexis, do you want to banish the fire? You're coming with me."

His tone brooked no argument so she concentrated, waved a palm, and let the flames peter out.

In the dark, Alexis could see Raphael eyeing Brenellean. He kept himself situated between the still angry Feyian and the leader.

_So, I wasn't the only one to notice the warrior's destructive mood._

Abruptly, he stiffened and his face washed a pale green.

"We have to get home now! Morgan's having a fit!"

Without a word, Leonardo swung Alexis into his arms and began to run.


	10. Falling Apart

The tunnels flew by as the four brothers leaned in and raced home. Raphael led. His powerful muscles bunched and stretched as he pushed the pace to its max, desperate to return to his mate.

Michelangelo followed carrying April; her human stamina no match for the punishing run. Donatello needed no encouragement to reach to his patient and Leonardo brought up the rear cradling Alexis to his chest.

Hyper aware of her every movement, Leo’s grip tightened automatically as her lithe form curled closer to him. She locked her arms around his neck for stabilization and her hair lashed his shoulder in the wind of their passing.

Beneath it all, her scent assaulted him. Like crisp apples at harvest and dry leaves in the fall, it embodied the essence of nature—peculiar in their man-made metropolis. Leo's heart pounded ten times harder than necessary as he breathed her in.

Even soured by injury, her smell was enticing. Under its spell, he found it difficult to pay attention to the route. He let his body follow his brothers blindly, his focus wholly on the woman watching him with luminous eyes.

Pain reflected there. She tried to mask it but to one who had mastered reading the nuances of human emotion it was obvious.

Leonardo clenched his teeth so hard the back ones ground together and fought to keep his own expression smooth. Alexis had just recovered from wounds that would be lethal to a normal person. Now, she was injured again while under his care.

_Defending me, no less._

She gasped as a rapid shift in their direction jarred her and his jaw tightened further. Surreptitiously, he ran his eyes over the wound. From his self-imposed vigil, he knew the pace at which she _should_ be healing, but this injury remained unchanged. Donnie said the substance would continue eating away at her until he could create a compound to neutralize it.

_Acid. Damn that egotistical elf!_

Fury coursed through his veins and Leonardo forced himself to take a deep breath; to stop examining her raw flesh. It took a great deal of effort to quiet the curses hurtling through his brain, but releasing them would bring no relief. Brenellean wasn't here to receive the tongue lashing he deserved.

The Feyian disappeared into Shadow almost before Raph finished telling them of Morgan's condition, but he would bear careful watching. His prejudice was unexpected and threatened not only Alexis but also his sister's recovery.

_Neither of which I will allow._

Alexis shivered and drew a little nearer, perhaps closer than propriety allowed. Leo tried not to read too much into the motion. She probably didn't mean anything by it. Still, her heartbeat vibrated against him. He could feel it pulsing through his plastron.

Steady and calm, it was a soothing reminder she lived.

He'd almost lost his mind when she screamed. The sound catapulted him into a killing rage and he could have turned Brenellean into a shishkabob. Only Morgan's need halted his sword.

A light touch fluttered against his mental shields. One so inviting it distracted him from his anger. Like a lover's fingertips running down his sides, it wasn't a sensation he could ignore.

Startled, he glanced down to see Alexis gazing up at him with solemn eyes. They bored unrelentingly into his, seeing straight through him—just like his father. However, a spark of gold crossed these dark depths and disappeared as the intimate mental sensation came again.

He cracked his shields a fraction, barely enough to respond.

_:Alexis? Is that you?:_

_:Yes, warrior.:_

Her vibrant presence overwhelmed him. Warm and alive, it slipped through the opening and filled an empty place in his soul. For one resonating instant, he was falling. Wrapped in the same intense emotion he experienced as the warehouse exploded.

The memory echoed in his mind. Shocked, Alexis broke contact.

Leonardo reeled at the loss, jolting back to the present. He staggered to one side as he lost the pace. A quick double-step corrected the issue, but his brother noticed the stumble. It was so unusual for the leader Donnie shot him a concerned look over his shoulder.

Leo sighed. He was in for an interrogation from the genius later. Quickly, he signaled everything was alright and braced himself, locking down his emotions, before addressing Alexis again.

_:Are you ok?:_

It was a dumb thing to ask but it was the first thought to flash into his head and he desperately wanted her to renew mental contact.

_:I will recover. But I am... concerned. There are issues here I do not understand and I do not wish to misstep further. May I ask a question?:_

Her hesitant response surprised him for she had been unabashedly straightforward to this point. And her thought was complete, not at all the broken English to which he was becoming accustomed. Mental communication was different, more direct. It didn't rely on the strictures of any specific language. Thoughts translated themselves appropriately despite such barriers.

_:Of course.:_

_:The Feyian's remarks angered you. Why?:_

Leonardo managed to choke off a flush before it reached his face. Apparently, she observed more during that encounter than he thought. He considered his answer carefully, not ready to reveal what might be an entirely one-sided attraction if he hadn't already given it away. With Morgan's life hanging in the balance, it wasn't a good time to dive so deep into the unknown.

_:Brenellean was out of line. You saved my life and are willingly accompanying us to help Morgan. You deserve respect, not condemnation.:_

She cocked her head.

_:You put yourself in peril because he insulted me?:_

_:Alexis, he attacked you.:_

_:He had no way of knowing I was bound to the clan. Were I another dragon, his actions may have proven vital to your safety.:_

Leonardo shook his head.

_:He could have briefed us further before the encounter. We would have corrected his misinterpretation and headed off the entire situation. Instead, he injured you with every intention of landing a killing blow!:_

_:The injury is my fault—my penalty. I lowered my guard and because my diligence faltered, you were forced to intervene. I am sorry, though I fear this failure was not my first.:_

Startled at the incredible sadness accompanying her statement, Leo searched her gaze. Something lost flickered there. Forlorn grief, self-condemnation, and an emotion he couldn't name—though it constricted his heart.

Her distress disturbed him and he found himself reiterating the words of his master.

_:Mistakes are a part of living and errors a part of learning. It was my privilege and honor to defend you during a time of need.:_

_:But that is my role. I am the Hamato Guardian!:_

_:You are clan and the safety of all such is my responsibility.:_

She remained silent a long while and he feared what she might be considering. Would her uncertainty and his declaration of leadership drive her away?

When she responded, her voice was soft but the message captured him.

_:Leonardo, I have never met your like. You are a warrior and leader to be reckoned with but... do not risk yourself for me again. I am unworthy of such sacrifice.:_

Leo jerked in surprise at his name. He had begun to think, as Guardian, she did not view any of the Hamatos as individuals but a vast network of family spanning the years. A belief reinforced by her choice to address him as 'warrior'. But Alexis identified him singularly.

The admiration in her thought consumed him and tore him apart, starting a cascade of relentless emotions. His mouth dried and endorphins flooded his system igniting an urgent need. He swallowed hard, trying to force back the rumble fighting to escape from his chest.

Alexis studied his face intently and her expression morphed from confusion to worry.

_I want her and, Ancestors help me, I shouldn't. She is a dragon. A fierce goddess. A warrior so out of my league as to be nigh untouchable. And she has no idea how she affects me. I should do as she asks. Try not to interfere..._

But, he couldn't. Her request enflamed him, solidifying his resolve to protect her.

_:Alexis, you are more than worthy. I will defend you to my dying breath.:_

She inhaled sharply, about to protest but their arrival at the lair door saved him from saying any more.

Alexis turned to watch as the bricks covering the entrance ground back. A wave of anguish and physical need swept over them as Morgan's mind reached out, seeking reassurance. The mental chaos added to his own fierce desire and made Leo's knees weak.

Abruptly, he wondered what emotions Alexis had gleaned during their conversation, but he couldn't afford to ponder it now. He slammed his shields shut and hurried toward the source of the call; Donatello's lab.

Splinter had moved Morgan to the infirmary. She lay writhing on a table under the bright glare of the examination lights as their Master rested both paws on her shoulders. A golden glow surrounded him as he attempted some form of healing protection.

Alexis' whole body tensed in Leo's arms at the first sight of them.

"Stop, kudasai," she requested.

Her gaze darted around the room, observing everything. Brenellean hovered at the edge of the group, an expression of helpless despair etched on his face as Raphael raced to Morgan's side.

"I'm here, angel," Raph said, brushing the back of his fingers over her forehead.

Donatello flicked on a bank of computers and grabbed the medical scanner to begin an analysis. He wrapped a bracelet tight to her wrist to track her vitals and waved the wand over her from head to toe. Frowning at the result, he reached for a syringe of morphine to ease her suffering, but Morgan pushed it away.

"No," she gasped. "Bad for the baby."

Splinter grasped her hand as she shuddered, imparting all the support his tight grip could offer. Leaning in, he whispered encouragement in her ear. His calm demeanor and glowing light never wavered.

When he shifted, Alexis' eyes followed, tracing the master's every movement. In their depths, a spark of fiery pain flared.

"What is it?" Leonardo asked.

"Your father," she answered in a soft voice. "Many nights have I dreamed of meeting him, for I have a duty to discharge"—she twisted to meet his gaze—"Glad I am, though, to have met you first, warrior. His trials, I feared, scarred him beyond recovery, but proven his strength, you have. Here he stands, surrounded by family. Compassionate. Able still to care—to love."

"He is an admirable man," Leo agreed. "The best father we could ask for."

Her words, while complimentary, ignited a feeling of hollow dread in his chest. "What is the obligation?" he inquired, fighting to keep the stress from his voice. He didn't really need to ask. Inside, he already knew.

Alexis' eyes flicked away from his, full of shame.

"A weight, there is, on my soul... for the ones I did not save."

"Tang-Shen and Miwa," he said, lowering his head with a deep sigh. His own anger at the Guardian's seeming abandonment had long since faded, but he could not predict his father's reaction.

_They were Yoshi's whole world._

"What do you intend to do?" he asked.

"Honor demands my life," she said in an even tone.

"No," Leonardo choked out. His arms tightened reflexively around her, "He will not ask that of you."

_Not if he values my sanity._

"Whatever he deems necessary, I shall give," she murmured. "Hope there may yet be, for forgiveness"—Morgan moaned drawing the dragon's dark eyes back to her—"But first I must see to your sister. The illness this is?"

Leo nodded and paced a little closer, doing his best to keep them out of the path of Donatello, as he rushed to and fro. Alexis scanned Morgan with a critical gaze.

"Is it always such?"

"This is pretty bad," Leonardo said. "It's been a fever and chills for days, but the severity escalates whenever she invokes her powers. Some instances last minutes while others go on for hours."

"Powers?"

He ran through the list of Morgan's abilities and her eyes widened.

"Certain, you are, she is also mortal?"

"Donatello can show you the results of his scans but she has some human DNA. Brenellean smuggled her here when she was young because she was outcast from their world."

Morgan shrieked, her whole body rising from the table in horrendous convulsions. A sob tore from Raphael as he and Michelangelo attempted to hold her flat. The loud beep of the heart monitor increased as her blood pressure soared.

Her skin shivered and crawled in a gruesome way. Blister-like sores formed on her exposed arms and legs. Seeping wounds which swelled and burst before their eyes.

Leonardo could not stand by and watch any longer.

"Please, Alexis," he begged in a low whisper. "Is there anything you can do to help?"

Her head turned, tracing something from Raphael to Morgan and back.

"They are Matched, your brother and she?"

"They are," Leo confirmed, surprised she knew the term.

She frowned and began to mumble rapidly under her breath. It was similar to what Donnie did when he was sorting through the variables of a problem except Alexis didn't speak English. A mixture of Japanese and some unknown language rolled off her tongue.

It was musical, but without her mental touch, he understood few words. 'Gestate' and 'Shadow' stood out before her eyes widened and she suddenly leapt from his hold. Leo dashed after her, grabbing her arm in support as she limped to the table's edge.

Intuitive as always, Splinter released Morgan's hand and moved out of their path as Alexis nearly fell reaching for her. A bright light flared as they connected and Morgan turned to stare blindly in her direction, gripping her wrist.

Both closed their eyes. A second later, Alexis stiffened and let out a small cry while Morgan went limp. The monitor flatlined with a shocking buzz and her chest stilled.

"No!" Raphael yelled. "Angel?" He shook her but she didn't respond.

Donatello dove for a defibrillator, but Brenellean bared his teeth and started towards them with clenched fists, the Huntress crouched and growling at his side.

"Everyone stay where you are!" Leonardo commanded.

Most of them froze, but the Feyian wasn't going to obey. His expression was grim; certain the dragon had inflicted irreversible damage. Leo reached for a sword.

Donatello's equipment returned to life with a loud hiccup, interrupting them and registering Morgan's pulse at a normal resting rate. Her body remained relaxed as she drew a deep breath; no longer tormented.

"I don't believe it," Donnie said.

With a small sigh, Morgan began to wake. Raphael ripped his gaze from the fluttering eyelids of his mate to stare at the Guardian. "What did you do?"

Alexis didn't reply. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees buckled.

Leonardo dared not release his weapon with Brenellean advancing, so he twisted, using his mass to stop her fall. His free arm encircled her waist, pulling her against his side.

"Is this your doing, Brenellean?" the leader growled. "Stay out of her mind! I won't warn you again. I meant what I said in the tunnel. You _will not_ touch her."

* * *

 

Alexiandretta thought she had discerned the problem as she rested her hand on the pale young woman. If she was right, she would have confirmation soon.

Her palm flared at the contact and she blinked at the bright light. It was a conspicuous sign of recognition from her oath bond, one which rarely occurred, but she didn't need the verification any longer. Morgan _was_ intrinsically connected to the Hamato family, her tie to Raphael plainly visible with second sight. Under probing, it proved to be far deeper than any purely mortal connection.

She didn't understand, but somehow the girl was exactly what they claimed. A half-Feyian Matched to her clan-brother, yet pregnant. The baby was similarly unique but there was no doubt the impossible child was a Hamato.

Bands like iron bound her to Alexis and all the dragon's instincts screamed at her to intervene. Child and mother both required protection.

She reached for Morgan with her thoughts.

_:Hello, young one. I sensed you with us earlier in the tunnels.:_

Though she couldn't see, Morgan's eyes opened wide at the contact. She clamped onto Alexis' tentative greeting and seized her wrist with the desperation of a drowning woman.

_:I'm sorry. Please don't be offended! I didn't know when I sent Brenna you were the one who saved Leonardo. I thought they were in danger. Bren told me he injured you and I wouldn't blame you for wanting to walk away. But please—Miwa, my daughter, is innocent. She doesn't deserve this.:_

There was real terror in the girl's mind. Not because of who Alexis was but because she believed the dragon might not help. Fire boiled up inside the Guardian as Morgan's tormented plea washed over her.

_Miwa. I could not save you but your namesake shall not suffer the same fate._

Names were powerful in the immortal world and true ones seldom uttered. That Morgan trusted her enough to reveal the soul of her unborn was flattering, though the choice was haunting.

_:Hush now, there is no reason to fear. I wish to help you and yours. I believe I know the source of your pain and, if you'll allow me, I will put an end to it.:_

_:What should I do?:_

_:Your mental walls are strong and I cannot assist from outside. You must let me in.:_

Morgan instantly dropped all her protections and Alexis gingerly infiltrated the nerve centers of her brain, redirecting the torturous signals into herself.

Stiffening under the rapid onslaught of physical agony, she hissed and might have fallen had the warrior not stood beside her—offering his strength. Connection established, she gratefully collapsed against him, closing her eyes as his strong arm snaked around her waist.

_It's a very temporary solution, but it will give me time to verify my hypothesis._

Alexis had ignored the others to this point, fascinated by the puzzle Morgan represented, but her head jerked up at a furious growl. Leonardo bristled beside her, one hand closed about the hilt of his sword.

"I won't warn you again," the leader said, staring down the Feyian male. "I meant what I said in the tunnel. You _will not_ touch her."

"Brenna, no,"—Morgan gasped from the table, raising a hand weakly—"She's not hurting me. She's... standing between us and the pain."

Brenellean glared, still uncertain of the wisdom of letting a dragon interact with her, but halted his advance. He stepped back a mere pace, but it was enough to appease the warrior. He released his weapon and gripped Alexis' shoulders gently in both hands.

As she trembled, his intense steel-blue gaze traced the planes of her face in concern.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a low tone.

"As you asked. Helping."

Leonardo's expression twisted. "I didn't mean for you to—"

"Stop," she said, "My duty this is."

She raised a hand, wanting to smooth the tormented look from his face, and rested her palm on his cheek. It felt simple. Natural, though she’d never done it before.

_I hope I am doing it right._

Her prior physical contact with mortals had been limited to the scope of her duties; usually fighting, training students, or making terrifying appearances in another form. However, having observed this type of interaction between others over the years, she thought it was an acceptable offer of comfort.

She was totally unprepared for its effect.

A flurry of strange sensations overwhelmed her. Her stomach began to flutter in an uncomfortable manner, her hand tingled, and her pupils dilated. The stabbing pain assaulting her faded into the background and all she could focus on was the depth of the warrior’s eyes.

The stormy turbulence in his gaze said she wasn't solely affected by the contact. Amazingly, though, he didn't draw away. In fact, he leaned into her touch and sighed ever so lightly.

_How can he be so fearless?_

Most creatures kept a careful distance from dragons, even when they assumed other forms. Some had ways to see through the disguise. Others instincts warned them of the extreme danger of the camouflaged predators.

Leonardo's instincts were finely honed, but the creeping terror other beings experienced around her didn't seem to affect him. He had not flinched from her in the building or the tunnels and was not disturbed by her proximity now. All she sensed from him was an odd sort of hunger.

_Dare I believe he might withstand the dread of living in my presence?_

A mixture of longing and heartache made her wince. Passion was hardly surprising with the Feyian girl projecting need for her Match so strongly nearby—especially since Alexis was buried in the sensory part of her mind. But the pang of bitter sorrow was her own.

_He has never seen me as a dragon. At most, he glimpsed me on the rooftop before he fell. When he beholds me clearly, his odd fascination will fade like stars faced with the sunrise._

Her heart clenched.

_And then the fear will come._

The thought of his terrified face was a blow. And the agony would only increase if she allowed herself to become closer to him than a Guardian should.

_This was the reason the Council intervened with Yoshi._

Her life with the little boy had been brief but provided companionship, shared purpose, and a sense of completeness. She yearned for that again.

_But my grief over him lasted centuries. And tomorrow, Splinter could claim my life. I have no right to seek such devotion._

Abruptly, she removed her hand and twisted away from the warrior's grasp. Weaving a little, she stood on her own and returned her attention to the table. She closed her eyes briefly, appalled at how hard it was to let go of an idea so recently grasped.

_This attraction is merely the influence of the Feyian. I chose this duty. I must live my life alone._

Though she delivered the reminder sternly, it did little to quell the emotional loss.

_There is no use in wishing for the impossible._

Besides, she had a job to do. She was sure now what was hurting the girl. Once, as a youngster, she blundered accidentally into the Shadow realm and experienced this same intense suffering.

"Illness this is not. Morgan is under attack."

She was proud of how steady her voice sounded as she announced it to the room. The collective gasp and angry muttering distracted her from the expression on the warrior's face.

"From what?" Donatello asked, examining their surroundings suspiciously.

"Shadowspawn," Alexis said.

"Impossible," Brenellean spat. "They cannot cross the border unaided."

"Here, they are not. She is there."

"You ain't makin' sense," Raphael said. "Morgan hasn't gone outside the lair for weeks."

Alexis growled, frustrated with the limitations of her English.

"You had no trouble communicating with me mentally earlier," Leonardo said expressionlessly. "Perhaps I can translate?"

She glanced warily at him. His countenance was smooth. He was shielding heavily and hiding his aura from her sight. A slight smile graced his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Alexis backed away a step, afraid of what further contact might engender, but a sharp sting shot through her leg. She snarled, having forgotten her earlier wound and bent to press a hand tight against it.

Leonardo advanced, smoothly sweeping her off her feet and into his arms.

"Now," he commanded softly in her ear, "tell me."


	11. Shattered

As Leonardo lifted Alexis with exacting precision to avoid any strain on her leg, Donatello's eyes narrowed and a slight frown crossed his features. He hadn't missed their previous interaction, or the flash of hurt on his brother's face when the dragon turned away.

_Leo and the Guardian?_

The leader wore a tight smile, suppressing his feelings, but they were still there if one had the insight to read them.

_Typical. He's probably trying to justify his emotions as something benign, some manner of responsibility as head of the clan._

Donatello knew better. The clues were all there; the early overwhelming grief, the obsessive vigil, the way he reacted to her scream, and his lethal warning to the Feyian. Though his words could sometimes be sharper than his katana, Leonardo did not make idol threats.

_To draw blood on Brenellean? Alexis means more to him then clan responsibility._

After observing Raphael's journey, Don could not mistake the symptoms. There was no doubt in the genius' mind Leo had fallen hard for the immortal dragon. Unfortunately, his sharp intellect also spotted several possible... issues with such a relationship.

What it might mean for the team and their family, he wasn't sure, especially if Leonardo had not yet acknowledged the emotion. So he filed the thoughts away for later consideration as his brother began to translate the complex ideas the Guardian didn't have the vocabulary for.

_Let's just tackle one problem at a time, shall we?_

"Alexis has never encountered a Feyian half-breed who wasn't sterile," Leo said. "Neither has she met one who was Matched or able to manifest mental abilities. She believed such traits suppressed by the genes of all other species"—he paused—"I'm going to summarize the next part because she's veering off into some complex scientific territory."

Donatello's frown deepened.

"You can ask her about it later, Don, but in short, the reason for the sterility pertains to the number of chromosomes each parent contributes. However, Morgan's genetic hybridization appears to be replicating and improving on the traits of her Feyian origin."

"I'm not sure you dumbed it down enough, Leo," Raph said with heavy sarcasm. "I have no clue what you said."

"She's a mule," Donatello clarified, eyes alight with fascination.

"Don't be saying that about my sis," Mikey said, waving an indignant hand. "Talk about adding insult to injury."

"I'm not insulting her! A mule is a perfect example. It's a heterotic hybrid, except instead of a human and Feyian, we're talking equines—a donkey and a horse. Just like Morgan's parents, they have a different amount of chromosomes. The resulting baby isn't classified the same as either parent. It's a new species, inheriting the best characteristics of each."

"But what does it mean?" Raphael asked. "And how are some Shadow things using it ta get to her?"

They all turned back to Leonardo, who listened again to Alexis. Donatello watched the silent communication between the two with more interest. Her obvious intelligence made him eager to chat with the dragon, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do it mentally.

His brother, however, seemed at ease allowing her access to his mind. Of course, Leonardo was the most accomplished of them and could probably keep things from her if he wished, but it was intriguing to see his rigidly controlled sibling embracing such an intimate form of communication.

"Alexis says, anytime Morgan feels threatened or stressed, she phases partly into the Shadow realm," Leonardo said.

"The scans did show her cells intermittently coming into contact with it," Donatello said. "But why?"

Leo's head tilted again.

"It's instinctive. The protective behavior of a pregnant Feyian female. Their children gestate partially in Shadow, forming a close bond with it and allowing them access later in life. Also, the phasing removes the child from any possible physical dangers in the mother's natural environment."

"But Morgan never disappeared," Raphael said.

"She wouldn't," Don said. "The shift would only apply to certain portions of her mass, not her entire body, similar to the way she camouflages her skin."

"So the issue is still with her human cells reacting badly to Shadow? We already knew that."

Alexis shook her head.

"That's the reason for the fever and chills," Leonardo explained. "Mortals don't last long in contact with the Shadow realm. It's sickening, a poison-filled mist. But the major attacks are triggered when her system moves the baby to so-called 'safety.' Clusters of foreign cells draw the attention of the Shadowspawn."

"The what?" Mikey asked.

"Shadowspawn are similar to your leeches," Brenellean said. "Only larger. Scavengers who feed on the life energy of hapless things. They do not trouble the Feyian overmuch but they can be dangerous to the unwary."

"How much bigger?"

"The smallest are about the length of your leg."

"Their teeth I have felt before," Alexis said with a grimace. "This pain is the same."

_These things are still sucking on her?_

Donnie's face twisted in horror. "How did she stop them before?"

"She didn't. Satisfied, they were and detached. Recovered enough, Morgan did, to drag herself from the Shadow realm. But with each encounter more feed. Soon, too many will come for her survival."

"What do we do?" A note of panic tempered the ever present anger in Raph's voice.

"Remove them," she said with a wince as another bite sent sharp, dagger-like pain through her. "Quickly."

"How?"—Don scratched his head—"I mean, they're not technically in our reality."

Alexis nodded to Brenellean.

"A knife he carries exists at once both here and there. Cut them off it can, but a portion of her flesh you must take or the teeth will remain."

"No," the Feyian snapped. "I'm not going to use a Dai'kroth on my sister."

"What's a Dai'kroth?" Raph demanded in a protective tone.

"The blade she refers to is cursed. It will stain her soul and punish the smallest sin with great pain."

"Harm her, its taint will not," Alexis promised, "no darkness has she within. Shield her, I can, from any agony. After, her Match can heal her."

Raphael exchanged a dark glance with Don who frowned, not liking the sound of the supernatural blade.

"Find another option," Brenellean said through clenched teeth.

"Have you one?" Alexis challenged.

"Dragonfire?" he offered with a glare, pointing out the obvious.

"Remove them, it can," she agreed with a sigh, "but break several treaties, that will. For enter the Shadow realm I can not, any longer, without help. Responsible, you would be held. Called criminal for opening the needed portal."

She stared at the Feyian, silently asking if he could see past his bigotry to allow her into a world now forbidden to her kind.

"Morgan would suffer," Alexis continued, "for hold her mind at peace, I cannot, and wield the flames at the same time. Also, it would..."

She paused, searching for a word. Leo briefly met her gaze.

"Stress," he supplied.

"Stress the child," she finished.

"I'll take the knife," Morgan said.

* * *

Leonardo paced outside the lab door in a rare show of anxiety. This whole process was straining his control. His calm facade had cracked to the point even Mikey was avoiding him and his temper flared near to breaking.

_It's not like they haven't given me reason..._

First, Brenellean refused to produce the blade. Raphael started a yelling match and their confrontation nearly came to blows. Leo was forced to deposit Alexis on a nearby bench to deal with the situation.

Once Donnie got the dagger, it was another argument to persuade the Feyian to stand guard in Shadow for a while. He wished to remain in the lair, not trusting the dragon to uphold her end of the bargain. But until they found a more permanent solution, Leo insisted he and the Huntress stay put in the other realm.

_Is he so blinded by hate, he can't see the need to discourage other 'things' from taking an interest in Morgan?_

Brenellean eventually caved to logic and his sister's pleading. But, before disappearing through the barrier, demanded Leo use Morgan's bracelet to contact him if circumstances went south. The parting shot at Alexis' honor left him seething.

The Guardian used the Feyian's departure as her cue to begin, easing Morgan into a gentle sleep at which point Donatello ordered everyone else out. It took the combined strength of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Splinter to remove a violently protesting Raphael from the room.

_Why must he make everything so difficult?_

Leo understood his brother's desire to remain but it would be better for Raph not to watch. Regardless of how in control he thought he was, the hot-head would certainly blow his top the second Don started cutting. He wasn't faring too well with the idea himself, but not because of Morgan. The thought of Alexis having to undergo what was essentially surgery without anesthesia was excruciating.

_And with a cursed blade? What will that do to her?_

He couldn't help himself, he had to duck back in and take one final measure of her resolve. Though he'd broken the rules and invaded the lab, he forced himself to stay by the door, limiting his engagement to eyes only as he analyzed Alexis' every movement.

She sat in a meditative posture on the bench where he left her, not shifting except for a random shudder of pain and the slow rise and fall of her breath. But she wasn't completely out of touch. She answered the occasional question Don threw her way.

"You sure you want to do this?" Donatello asked, examining the knife. It wasn't made for the delicate type of surgery he usually performed. In fact, it was a pretty ugly looking piece of work, meant to inflict rather than relieve pain.

When she didn't reply he added, "It's really going to hurt."

Alexis opened her eyes and studied him gravely as he gathered other supplies from around the room.

"Fear not, clan-brother, she will not feel it."

He gazed at her sideways. "But you will."

Alexis' expression flattened to one of suppressed anger. "I will not falter."

"No one's saying that," Leo interrupted. "He's asking if there is _any_ other way. None of us want you to suffer needlessly."

He'd left his position at the entrance and now knelt in front of her, holding her hand.

_I don't even remember moving. Is her draw so impossibly strong?_

She squeezed his fingers and her gaze softened. His insides melted.

_Yes, yes it is._

"Such compassion is rare, warrior, and you have my thanks. But no time, there is, to conceive of a new solution. Stop them now, we must, before those under our protection suffer irreparable harm."

Leo sighed but he couldn't fault her. Were their situations reversed, he would choose to do the same. Sacrificing personal safety for the future of the clan was a responsibility which came with their positions.

Still, he loitered a moment longer, even after Don cleared his throat in a quiet reminder he ought to get going. His feet refused to budge. Rooted, he touched Alexis' mind without trying to hide the worry coursing through him.

_:If you need anything, reach for me. I'll be near.:_

Shock flowed over him in reply, followed by something more—a richer emotion, a trembling of the heart. Wistful and more beautiful than a dragonfly's iridescent wings, it was akin to the soul-deep desire inside himself.

She raised her free hand to his face as she had before, with a slightly dazed expression. The feelings echoing through their connection were so intense he was surprised not to see the tell-tale flecks of gold in her gaze.

_She is holding back._

The thought frustrated him. He hadn't had a chance to inquire why she withdrew from him before and he was wary of provoking the same reaction again, but he felt compelled to respond to her touch. Donnie wasn't watching, so Leonardo allowed his hand to rise in turn, caressing the ridge of her cheekbone ever so lightly with the back of his knuckles.

Alexis' respiration and heart rate rose. He saw it in the pounding pulse at her throat. Felt it as her skin heated under his touch. Despite those positive responses, she caught his hand and pushed it away.

Immediately, he drew back and bowed his head. Rebuffed a second time he thought he must be misreading her and sought to apologize.

_:Your pardon, Guardian. I did not mean to offend. I should never have presumed—:_

_:Caring is not offensive, Leonardo. You simply do not understand the ramifications of what you are proposing... or the precise nature of the one to which you are offering it.:_

His insides quivered again at his name and it took a few moments to process her reply. This was new information. A kind of revelation.

_She is not averse to my advances. She thinks me inexperienced._

Leonardo had feared something much worse behind her rejections, perhaps that she already had a mate or her Guardianship forbade such a thing. If naiveté was her only objection, he was not about to let her go.

He slid his hand into her hair to cup the back of her neck and pulled her closer. When her forehead bumped softly into his and her eyelids fluttered shut, he projected his thoughts as confidently as he could.

_:I may have lived only a fraction of your years, but I am not unschooled. I am no stranger to hardship and sacrifice. I have handled vendettas decades in the making, dealt with issues beyond our galaxy, traveled the reaches of time. I understand your burdens and I do not make this promise of assistance lightly. I will not withdraw at the first sign of trouble. You need not suffer alone. Call for me. I will help.:_

His barely concealed emotions offered so much more than the immediate support of his words and Alexis jerked back with a hiss as if his touch burned. Her voice turned cold.

_:You cannot. Raise your wards, warrior. Close your mind and leave me to my fate.:_

Darkness swallowed his heart at the rejection, but she didn't break their connection fast enough to hide a stab of fear and longing.

_She thinks a relationship will harm me!_

He rose into a crouch and leaned forward, whispering fiercely in her ear, "I'm stronger than you think." As he drew away, he pressed his lips firmly against her hair.

Alexis' eyes flashed gold.

Satisfied she got the message, he left; ignoring Donatello's startled inhalation. But once outside the door, he paced—fidgeting and occasionally pressing a hand against the closed portal—unable to disconnect and wait with his usual patience.

Time passed at a crawl, as he listened intently with heart and mind.

* * *

The dragon slumped, unresponsive, while Donatello applied a cooling poultice to the gash on her thigh. He had finished with Morgan and would not be dissuaded from attending to her hurts since Raphael swept the girl away.

Alexis didn't care about the Silverthorn injury any longer. All she wanted was to slink into a dark hole and never show her face again.

_Let it burn. It is a suitable punishment._

The procedure had been difficult. More painful than she could have imagined, but not because Donatello wielded his knife recklessly. To the contrary, he was stunningly precise with his cuts, showing an unerring sense of where the teeth of the Shadowspan lay.

The strain which pushed her beyond endurance was caused by the Dai'kroth.

As promised, Morgan remained blessedly unaffected by the cursed weapon. Having suffered so much in her past, even the bound spirits of the blade could not find fault with her soul.

Alexis was not so lucky. Linked with the young Feyian hybrid, her sins were fair game and a thousand years of anxiety ridden decisions provided them with a rich feeding ground. Intense angst and fear flowed from the knife, dragging troubled memories from her thoughts. Without mercy, they prodded ghosts of events long past to life with visions she could not prevent, ones focused on her worst fears.

Keeping silent so as not to distract her clan-brother from his work almost shattered her mind.

Behind her eyes, another dragon loomed.

A huge, dark midnight blue beast, boasting of his prowess. Proud and strong, he regarded her with narrowed, possessive eyes. Within them lurked a shadowy demon, one no one else noticed. An evil spirit who intended to annihilate her will, usurp her heritage, and corrupt her people. In vain, she pleaded with her kin to see the truth.

He laughed, content in the knowledge she was trapped by tradition.

_A lifetime of wisdom gained, and I still cannot face him..._

She fled, just as she had then. It was all she could do. The pain of self-imposed banishment would haunt her, for she knew not what he'd done in her absence.

_Did I save them? Or betray them?_

She only hoped without her, he could not assume the power he so desperately craved.

_I moved on, found a new place in the world. A new mission._

The dragon faded and her beloved little prince formed, reaching for her with a skeletal hand. Begging with his last breath to know what he had done to make her abandon him and never return.

_It wasn't your fault, little one. I love you still..._

Yoshi melted away and Splinter raged against her, confronted again with the loss of his family. It was too much to bear and her heart cried out for him. He was the last Hamato and with the destruction of his world, her sole mission in life collapsed.

Demanding retribution, the vengeful old warrior denied her request to linger nearby. He extracted a promise on what little remained of her honor to live as long as she could. Then, he expelled her from her only remaining family, punishing her failure in the severest way possible.

_I would rather he took my life._

But the worst vision, by far, was the warrior.

Her buried desire escalated to an all-consuming fire as Leonardo's parting words sparked a fragile hope. Yet, as she raised a hand towards him the yearning in his eyes died. Horror filled his gaze as he realized who—or rather what—he had shackled himself too. She had shifted mid-reach and as her draconic claw neared, he cowered away.

_No!_

He writhed, his physical form undergoing a drastic change as his spirit broke under the strain of her affection. Shriveled and shrinking into despair, her love destroyed him; grinding his powerful soul into ruins. This desire for a mate who understood her was selfish and destructive.

The blue dragon formed again.

Alexis' eyes dimmed and self-loathing grew as the foul fantasies replayed in her head.

Donatello, kneeling at her feet, was speaking to her worriedly, but she was too far gone. Trapped in her own personal hell, she could no longer respond to his questions. It was all she could do to hold the connection to Morgan, relieving the pain.

_A last futile attempt to fulfill a worthless promise._

Still, Alexis held tight to her vow as her vision faded to black and her dreams crumbled to dust.

Inside the blade, the spirits laughed...


	12. Trip the Darkness

**Trip the Darkness**

The scorching night air parched Leonardo's throat. Sweat beaded on his brow only to be absorbed by his mask. Temperatures still soared above normal and though it neared midnight the rooftop was hotter than hell.

The heat reflected back from the gravel at his feet, magnified tenfold. His palms roasted where they rested on the short concrete barrier separating him from the fall to the street below.

Leo eyed the drop, automatically searching for anyone suspicious or out of place. He didn't want to be here. His thoughts were back in the lair where Morgan and Alexis endured who knew what. Splinter, however, had sent him forth.

Returning from settling one son, his father caught him lurking outside the lab door. Dark eyes probed steel-blue as the rat laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It does not take a master to sense the turmoil within you tonight, my son. You wear it openly upon your brow."

Leonardo bowed his head. "I am restless, Sensei, worried about this operation."

"Many trials led to this solution, but I am confident it will be a success. Donatello is experienced and our Guardian is at their side. We can ask for no more."

_Father's acknowledging Alexis?_

Hope lit his eyes. Perhaps she would consent to stay close if Splinter forgave her.

"You believe her, father?"

"That the woman is a Guardian? Yes. One other I have known and within her I sense a similar pact, an aural vibration which cannot be falsified. Her soul is bound to our clan, though I wonder whether it was by choice or for some other necessity."

"You don't think she assists us voluntarily?"

"We will not know until we speak with her further, but dragons are long-lived beings who do not take such vows lightly. She is constrained by her oath to offer assistance, but her aura pulses with fire and air, volatile and docile by turns. We should treat her with caution."

_It is her fervor, her strength, which call to me._

"She is... loyal, Master. A repository for centuries of clan knowledge. She knows our history and fighting art like no other. When Morgan is well, I wish to ask if she will stay on and teach me—us. If you will allow it."

The rat's piercing eyes narrowed and he examined his student closely. Leonardo fought to keep his expression smooth but his father saw through him.

"Do not be misled by her current form, my son. While it is appealing, she is not one of us. Our ancestors chose simply to name her Guardian because anticipating her actions or labeling her as anything else is dangerous."

"I know what she is," Leonardo protested. "A fierce warrior. A devoted archivist. An unrivaled sensei. I heard it in her thoughts. Saw it in visions of the past. I understand her."

"Do you?"

The question was kindly, yet the gleam in his father's black eyes usually boded ill for his progeny. Leo braced himself for judgment, a bombardment of questions he could not answer to prove his claims false, but they didn't come.

"Your visions are a topic we will discuss another time, but do you truly seek the Guardian's continued presence solely out of a need for learning?"

Leonardo was not in the habit of lying to his father, especially not when asked in so pointed a tone. He dropped his eyes and answered honestly, but he kept it short.

"Not solely, no."

Splinter's whiskers twitched and his eyes softened.

"I thought not. Raphael told me of your... exchange with Brenellean in the tunnel. While I commend you for defending Miss Alexis, was it necessary to draw the blood of your kin? However different his opinion may be, he only wants the best for his sister."

"He acted the fool. So focused on his prejudice, he wouldn't listen to reason. I needed to get his attention."

Leo snarled the explanation with more heat than he would normally show in front of his elder. He flushed as Splinter's eyes darted over him again, this time examining more than the physical.

"Your aura pulses with agitation and your temper is short," he reproved. "This is not like you. Your family depends upon your ability to divorce yourself of emotion when making decisions."

Leonardo bowed his head, accepting the reprimand, but offered no defense.

"Your shields are lowered," Splinter noted. "For what are you listening?"

"She was injured, father, twice now on my behalf and this operation will harm her further. This time, I will not let her suffer alone. If she needs me, I stand ready."

"Morgan is unconscious. Donatello attends her and Raphael is nearby if help becomes necessary. You need not hover here."

_He knows I'm not talking about Morgan, but he's forcing me to say it. To face it._

"My... attendance is for the Guardian."

Splinter sighed knowing such an admission from his understated son implied more than simple affection.

"This is a perilous road, Leonardo. Are you certain you wish to travel it?"

"Alexis almost died saving me. She is suffering to protect Morgan, and your grandchild, from severe pain. I trust her."

"I am most grateful for her actions, my son, and I know your faith is not given carelessly, but I fear you misinterpret her motivations. As our Guardian, she is driven to intercede in such situations."

Leo drew a choked breath. When conflicted, he depended on Splinter's wisdom to guide him. Tonight, his father's comments struck far too close to his original worries to be dismissed.

_Am I misleading myself? Deliberately misreading Alexis in my desire to find a companion?_

"Must I always stand alone?" he asked, bitterness tainting his voice. "Is my yearning for a partner wrong?"

"Wrong? No. I do not want to censor you, Leonardo. It is my deepest wish for all my children to attain love and happiness"—the old rat smiled wanly and squeezed Leo's shoulder—"You are entitled to more than a partner. You deserve a mate. One who adores and supports you. And I do not yet know if emotions weigh on this Guardian in the same manner as they do us."

"They do."

Splinter turned away, staring at the door closed against them as if he might see through to the mysterious woman on the other side, but her mind and aura remained locked away. He sighed, shaking his head.

"You cannot know this."

His father's face fell and Leo realized he was basing his judgment on the loss of his human family. How could he not? If the Guardian existed as a real, feeling creature, wouldn't she have saved them?

"Father, Alexis has been searching for you for years because her failures burden her heart. She told me she would give you her life. Does that sound like a being to whom emotions don't matter?"

Splinter shot him a startled look.

"I still advise caution, my son. If you wish to regain equilibrium, I suggest you separate yourself and meditate upon it." He glanced once more at the closed door. "She is not going anywhere tonight."

Leo wanted to protest, but he could not ignore a direct instruction from his master, no matter that it was phrased as a suggestion. Besides, Alexis' mental touch was strong. He need not remain in the lair to answer her if he didn't go too far. He bowed his head.

"I will do as you ask."

Splinter dismissed him with a small nod and Leo sprinted for the exit.

That had been an hour ago. Alone on a blistering rooftop, he still could not find solitude. Instead, he stared at the lights of the buildings, imagining the way Alexis would experience it.

_What does flying feel like? Stars shining overhead with a matching glow from the city far below. The air must be cooler—_

A sharp buzz shot past his cheek jolting him from his reverie. He caught the second arrow in his fist and avoided a third with a tight roll. His cracked shell protested with a fiery twinge and he growled.

_Can I not get a moment's peace?_

A shadowy form leapt out as he righted himself, black-clad foot swinging towards his head. He grabbed it and sent the body rolling to the gravel with a skillful twist. The attacker shifted out of reach of his counter strike, but their hood caught on a roof vent and ripped free.

Shoulder length hair swung into view and Leonardo snatched it. A leg swept his feet and they both went down in a tangle. He let out an 'oomph' as his opponent fell on his plastron, but felt no follow-up blow. Instead, dark eyes peered into his askance and the figure slipped his grasp with a smooth contortion.

They separated and stared each other down.

"You don't seem much the worse for wear," Karai said with a laugh. "From the damage reports, I thought you'd be at death's door."

Leo's eyes narrowed, but he relaxed somewhat as he scanned the area and realized she stood alone.

"That stunt was reckless, Karai. You almost killed hundreds of innocents. Since when are you so enamoured of explosives?"

Her face hardened.

"I am not."

"So, what ARE you doing?"

Her expression changed so fast it almost gave him whiplash. She smirked.

"I know how much you like a roof-top ambush. Thought I would return the favor."

He grimaced at the reference and sighed.

_I suppose I owe her a 'sorry' at the very least..._

"Karai, I'm—"

She slipped under his arm and laid a finger across his lips, coming so close he could feel her breath brush his face.

"No apologies. We all did what we had too."

He froze, stunned. By the time he gathered his wits and grabbed for her, she spun away.

_I guess I worried about losing her good faith for nothing, but what does she want? Time is wasting and Alexis is going to—_

The kunoichi lunged at him and again they exchanged blows. Hers were slow, almost tentative, testing. She fought bare handed and her easy strikes confused him. They'd clashed many times and their battles were never like this. This was more along the lines of sparring.

_She's acting odd..._

Leonardo didn't draw his sword, but he refused to pull his punches. His hands blurred and a couple of solid hits landed before she rolled away with a relieved laugh. She remained crouched and flashed him a grin over her shoulder, eyes gleaming.

"I'm glad you got the real culprit, though. I heard the screams," she said. "Tell me, did Raph vivisect Hargrove, or you?"

Discussions with Karai always tended this way; round-about, never straight to the point. He wasn't in the mood tonight to play her game, but she took the time to seek him out so there must be something important buried in her taunting. Rather than answer her questions though, he plied her with a few of his own.

"You were a welcome distraction, but what were your men doing at the water tower that night?"

She snorted.

"I was sent to put down a revolt. Hargrove, the slimy bastard, was plotting against us. If you hadn't killed him, I would've." She dropped her eyes as she added, "Morgan deserved that much."

"You didn't even know her!"

The words tore from him almost involuntarily, their vehemence lending credit to the rumor Morgan perished, but it wasn't entirely feigned. The Foot's role in her capture still irked him.

"I know you," Karai countered. "And you changed when you took her under your roof. Did you realize how quiet it had become between us before her?"

Warily, they circled each other.

"That seems to have ended," he said. "Twice now you've tried to kill us."

She frowned.

"My father has a new set of advisors pushing for your lives. I'm afraid their zeal reignited his fixation. You need to be doubly on your guard."

"Shredder's plots are not too hard to unravel."

"These ideas come from a more cunning mind. A pair of them to be exact. The ones behind Morgan's execution."

_Wait. Someone besides Hargrove planned it?_

The kidnapping had been a superbly realized long game; cloak and dagger of a higher order than they normally dealt with. He thought them safe from such manipulations with Hargrove's death.

"Who?" he demanded. "And why warn me?"

Karai blinked at him, her face blank. Either she hadn't examined her own motives or didn't think he would question them. She flushed and words tumbled out he never expected to hear.

"I've played the villain in our little games, but I am more than that. I'm a grown woman with aspirations of my own. Have you never considered an... us?"

Leo disengaged and backed away, eyes wide. She tilted her head, waiting for an answer.

_Why, tonight, of all nights, would she voice such a thing? The fates are toying with me._

"Karai, I— "

"Surely you've thought on it," she interrupted, lowering her lids to stare seductively through her lashes. She drew a few steps nearer. "I have seen your rage, full of shadow and fury. We could be excellent partners."

He shook his head. "Your ambitions are deadly."

"Not with you at my side. We have collaborated successfully over the years. You rendered assistance when I asked and I— I tempered my father's bloodlust in return. This is more of the same."

"It's not. We've been uncertain allies, quietly building a truce. Honorable opponents, nothing more."

"You are hurting," she insisted. "Grieving. Wrestling with unfulfilled desires. I can relieve them, give you the companionship you crave. Together we could take back the Foot, return it to its noble beginnings. And with the Shredder gone your family would be safe."

The idea was tempting. To be able to finally relax? To free his clan from their long time enemy? The thought appealed to his baser nature.

However, a young Feyian had raised the bar. Shown him love was not impossible because of his mutation. And Splinter was right, he should not settle for mere partnership. Karai did not understand the true source of his pain.

Her company would never fill the hole inside him, for a dragon had already stolen his heart.

She opened her mouth to say something more, but Leonardo did not hear it. A mental shriek containing nothing but his name ripped his mind in two. He roared, collapsing to his knees as pain and fear and regret rolled over him in vast waves. His vision blurred and he clamped both hands to his skull.

"Leo!"

Karai yelled, rushing toward him, but he ran. Sprinting away to answer a summons impossible to ignore. The dizziness and searing rock didn't slow his feet for an instant.

* * *

Alexis moaned, fighting to hold onto the black. Consciousness returned against her will, oblivious to the fact she didn't want to see her failures anymore, or watch as everything she loved perished again. But the voices wouldn't let her rest.

They argued over her in quiet tones as the leering blue dragon formed anew in her mind's eye. Whatever they said, she couldn't understand it. English words and phrases slurred together into complete mush.

"Alexis? Areyouok?"

"Whatthehellhappened?"

"Raph?Whatareyou—"

"Morganstartedscreamingatmetostopthedragon!What'sgoin'on?"

_Two of them. There are definitely two._

"Idon'tknow. Shejustcollapsed. Alexis? Canyouhearme? Herbreathing'serratic. Myguessissomesortofmentalshock."

Once or twice she heard her name followed by a pause. They must be waiting on some sort of response but she couldn't form one. She didn't even recognize them.

"Where'sLeo?"

"Hecouldn'tchill. Senseisenthimouttorunitoff."

Deep inside, some small piece of her sanity remained, realized they were discussing something important, and if she could figure it out, she might escape this horror.

_Those voices belong to... to..._

A tiny hand covered in skin as rough as sandpaper scraped across her cheek. She whimpered, distracted by the ancient little boy, overcome by guilt. No matter what she did, she failed.

_I should give in. Quit fighting. Let go._

Human screams. A man's full of horror. A woman's filled with agony. A child's shriek of fear. Drowned out by the crackle of flames. The last of the Hamatos chastised her and the anguish was overwhelming.

_I will not survive what is coming next..._

"Backupwillya? I'mstilltryingtoasses. Alexis?"

A hand touched her wrist and she flinched, twisting away. The physical sensation didn't ground her, it only added to the confusion.

The warrior appeared behind her eyes—whole for one glorious instant—gaze silently yearning.

_No. Please. Stop._

She called out to him. If she could not control herself and halt the change, perhaps she could send him away. As the words left her mouth, she realized they were useless, all in her native tongue.

"Whatlanguagewasthat?"

"Dragon,Ithink."

This time the outside observations couldn't divert her. As soon as the warrior began to crumble, she would be lost.

"Herpulseisdropping!"

The fear in that shout yanked her up short. Her oath thrummed to life, required to answer such pleas. She stretched deep into her exhausted reserves and fought against the current of self-destruction to identify the plaintiff.

_Donatello. That's Donatello. And he is frightened... for me._

Realization of her extreme danger came too late. She couldn't break free from the spiral of madness. Couldn't reach the ones trying to help, though they knelt only a few feet away. She was lost, unless... There was one left who could intervene if she but asked. Not this false warrior in front of her but—

With a last desperate cry, she reached out, calling his true name.

Time slowed. The images bombarding her wavered, then struck back, more powerful than ever. An external shield snapped up around hers but did little as the horrors burrowed deep inside her mind.

An unusual sound vibrated through the air, made more potent by its low tone. Part aggressive growl, part intense purr, it latched onto her very soul and would not let go, reverberating in a never-ending rhythm. It filled the room, as a vivid aura washed over the agony, coating her in a brilliant—pure—light.

The visions lost their hold, dissolving into ash-like dust as the spirits of the dagger screamed in rage. Alexis' heart ignited as Leonardo's bright presence knelt at her side. She extended her arms and his closed around her.

"I told you I would come," he murmured.

"Ti canna flurea, shay'el'esque," she mumbled before exhaustion overcame her and unconsciousness consumed her a second time.

* * *

"Alexis? Can you hear me? I need you to try to wake up. Can you open your eyes?"

The words were clear and the voice familiar, though not the one she hoped for.

_Donatello._

She cracked her eyelids to be certain. The purple banded turtle leaned over her, his proportions distorted in an odd way. She blinked in confusion, then concluded she lay on the floor.

"I- Where? What occurred?"

Before he could answer, her memories rushed back.

_The strange hybrid Feyian. The unique, precious babe. The Shadowspawn attack._

Abruptly, Alexis realized she could no longer feel the girl's mind.

"Morgan! Is—"

The genius' analytic gaze swept her face and his eyes softened.

"She's fine," he said, cutting her frantic question short. "So is the baby. Now, can you follow my finger? Hold your head still, only move your eyes."

She tried her best to focus as he tested her, but her vision wavered in and out.

"Do you know who we are?"

She smiled somewhat shakily.

"Clan-brother, you I must know to let hurt me so..."

He chuckled and stepped away to grab something. Behind him, she caught a glimpse of a blue bandanna. Leonardo. Though blurred, the warrior's expression was grim.

Alexis' face paled and she averted her eyes as a flood of emotions overcame her. Shame for rejecting his proffered help to begin with, fear that he saw the root of her terrors, and an urgent need to be near him.

His aura no longer encompassed hers and without it, she felt... exposed, uncertain.

She glanced covertly up again and found him staring. They locked eyes. His smoldered. Within her chest, desire melded with embarrassment into a messy soup she did not want to face. She flushed and turned away as he approached.

"Alexis? How can I help?"—Donatello was back—"What do you need?"

She focused on him gratefully. Somehow, he understood the tension in the room, for he stood between her and Leonardo resting a palm on her forehead.

"A larger space. Somewhere to shift and feed. More swiftly will I heal in my primary form but"—her eyes darted to his brother and back again—"I do not wish to disturb the household."

"I know the perfect place."

Donatello smiled and she liked the way it lit his eyes. It showed his gentle soul, curious and sensitive. But he didn't flinch at the necessity of operating on his sister and Alexis knew he would do whatever she required to assist her as well.

_Even if my need is to escape from Leonardo's eyes._

Affirming her thoughts, he lifted her and strode away without a backward glance at the leader.

* * *

Leonardo watched Don's shell intently as they retreated and frowned as his brother picked a cautious path through the splinters of the ruined door. He didn't remember the last few passageways home, or kicking in the lab door, but apparently, he had.

_I'll have to help Donnie fix it later._

All that mattered at the time was reaching Alexis. Defending her against one of the strongest mental probes he ever encountered. It was like fighting the shadow man all over again. When he blocked one avenue of assault the insidious infection found a new approach.

He tried erecting shields around her, but the sickness lived deep inside. When Don yelled they were losing her, he redoubled his efforts. Her tormented mental screams driving him past all concern for himself.

Desperate, he attempted something he'd seen only once. In a time of great need, Raphael had thrown his aura through a wall to surround Morgan, bolstering her life force from within.

The two were bound at the time, committed in a way Leo and Alexis were not, but he was not about to let that stop him. No matter what she felt, he would fight for her with every ounce of his being.

_It will have to be enough._

He dropped all his shields, let the rumble in his chest burst forth and used the light of his own life source to drive away the darkness.

In the glorious glow of full aural contact, she gasped something to him. A melodious phrase in her native language. A word—one particular unintelligible string of syllables—struck him solidly in the chest and riled his instincts.

She blacked out as she finished, so he couldn't pick the translation from her mind. He could ask her to repeat it, but a gut instinct told him he really should find out himself before he spoke to her again.

Now, he debated the wisdom of asking the Feyian for advice. The borrowed piece of jewelry clenched in his left fist annoyed him, but it also offered a solution, if he could humble himself enough to use it.

He was only meant to contact Brenellean if something went wrong during the procedure, but something had. Alexis shattered. After she woke, she avoided his eyes and refused his worried mental hails.

The Feyian had wanted Leonardo to call if something happened to _Morgan_ but, as far as Leo could tell, his guard duty in the Shadow realm should not prevent him from answering a few general questions. Of course, they were not on good terms right now, but the irritating elf was the only one he knew with any hope of understanding the bit of foreign speech.

With a sigh, he folded himself into a Lotus pose, gripped Morgan's amulet in one hand, and closed his eyes. It was more difficult, using the speaking stone than reaching for Brenellean's mind directly, but it was the only way to breach the barrier between worlds.

_:Yes?:_

The Feyian's rather snarky reply echoed in response to Leo's politely phrased greeting and he sighed. Before he could ask his question, they needed to make some sort of peace.

_:Brenellean, I'm sorry I assumed you were behind Alexis' collapse in the infirmary. I reacted poorly.:_

He sensed surprise from the other end at the admission.

_:Your perceptions were clouded by personal feelings. Still, I should have trusted your judgment. Your Guardian sacrificed a great deal to aid in Mauriagonna's treatment. My objection, in this case, was unreasonable.:_

Leo suppressed a growl. Alexis' physical injury was more than 'unreasonable' and not something he could easily forgive, but he must put his anger to the side and temporize if he wished to gain answers.

_:We each have issues to address. It is the only way one grows, but tonight I need your particular expertise. You know much about your enemy, but do you understand their language?:_

Amusement met his question.

_:Why? Is there something she will not explain? I do not speak dragon well, but I comprehend more than enough to translate most things. With what has she confounded you?:_

Leonardo frowned and his brows drew together at the patronizing tone, but at least the Feyian seemed interested in answering.

_:The word is 'shay'el'esque':_

Silence fell for so long Leo began to wonder if he lost the connection.

_:To what was it attached? And to whom was it directed?:_

Brenellean's response was almost breathless if one could use such a term with mental communication.

_Is he angry or stunned?_

Leonardo's frown deepened and he silenced his first instinct to snap, "Does it matter?" It obviously did if the statement needed clarification. He traced his own thoughts backward to the phrase in his memory and projected it on.

_:Don, Raph, and I were in the room, but she spoke to me.:_

_:She hallucinated? Mistook you for another?:_

_:No. Donatello asked if she recognized us. Why? What did she say?:_

_:'I never doubted you.':_

That didn't seem right.

_:That's what 'shay'el'esque' means?:_

_:No, the rest of what she said. But she was probably confused. You saw her scales in the tunnel, right?:_

Leo bit his tongue to hold back a scathing reply. The change in Alexis' skin before the fight had been impossible to miss and he found her difficult to look away from, despite the life or death situation. But what did it have to do with any of this?

_:Yes.:_

_:Did you note her colors?:_

Of course he had. Even in memory, Alexis looked stunning. The light from her magical fire danced across her hide, highlighting each hue with its warm glow.

_:Violet and indigo with a sort of iridescent green sheen.:_

_:As you said, I know much of my enemy. From their coloration, one can determine a dragon's house, their bloodline. One of those hues alone would put her high in their hierarchy. Both together is the highest there is. The dragon equivalent of royalty.:_

_:Your point?:_

Brenellean's tone softened as if delivering the worst sort of news.

_:She would never address one of another species by that term. Her future would have been determined long ago by the head of her family.:_

Leo snapped off each thought, all patience gone.

_:'Shay'el'esque.' What. Does. It. Mean?:_

_:Roughly? 'Center of my world.' It's a term of endearment dragons use only with their mates.:_


	13. Past imperfect, future tense

Alexis rested her head against a broad green shoulder and sighed, slightly embarrassed one of her charges needed to assist her in something as simple as leaving a room. But after Leonardo's actions this evening—well, it was a little late for that particular emotion.

The warrior had hailed her mentally more than once since she roused. The pure essence of his spirit pulsed against her mind, tempting her with flashes of blue brightness where his aura had met—and mingled—with her own. But if she spoke to him now, she would never be able to let him go.

She glanced about, seeking a distraction. Were she in a more fit mental state she might have craned her neck to observe their living space, but her energy was exhausted she could barely keep her eyes fixed on Donatello's face. His expression and the solid grip of his arms soothed her somewhat and her gaze locked on his calm brown eyes.

Despite a long night of fighting, medical emergencies, and surgery, he showed no sign of flagging as he carried her; moving carefully across the main room of the lair.

_I wish I dared relax._

If her vigilance waned, her thoughts would drift and her heart assume control; summoning the warrior back to her side.

_All it will take is dropping my shields. The longing will reach him in seconds, and then... No. I must not._

Despite her chaotic emotions, Donatello's smooth gate lulled her and somehow during the short walk from the lab, her eyes slid shut. She stirred, however, as he lowered her once again to the floor and the smell of dusty reeds bound into the classic tatami floated to her nostrils. Comforting scents of steel, oil, and incense surrounded her like old friends.

_A dojo. How did he know I would find peace in such a place?_

"This is the largest room we have with a door," Donatello said as he slid the shoji screen closed. "I'm sorry we can't offer you something more luxurious. It wasn't really meant to be a bedroom."

"The last thirty years, slept I have on a roof and a cave my own home is. This is fine," she said in a drowsy tone.

He puttered about, shifting things and she waited patiently for him to leave. Exposing him to the reality of her full dragon form without preparation or warning was out of the question. But, as the minutes stretched on, he did not go.

Curious, she cracked her lids and was startled to find him regarding her intently, his eyes dark and troubled. She recognized that look and sighed.

"Questions, you have."

At his nod, she roused herself enough to sit up. After his efforts this evening, providing a few explanations was the least she could do. "Let us hope I have the answers."

She waved him over and he sank effortlessly to the mat beside her.

"Thank you." He paused, organizing his thoughts before looking up to meet her gaze. "How long have you been a Guardian?"

Alexis blinked at him in confusion, expecting his concerns to be about what happened during, and after, the surgery. Or perhaps about defending Morgan in the future. Or maybe even his father's reaction to her presence in the lair.

Having observed him through the lens of his brother's thoughts, she knew he planned for every feasible scenario. All were possibilities, but she did not anticipate, well... this line of questions, whatever it was.

"Seven centuries," she answered warily.

"You've been following us around for seven-hundred years?" He sounded a little incredulous. "Have you ever guarded anyone else?" he asked. "Besides our family, I mean?"

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to judge the seriousness of his request and where his thoughts were headed. In the past, she was not allowed to answer such questions. It could lead to leaps of understanding.

_A leaking of knowledge akin to the discovery of fire._

Alexis snorted in amusement at her own mental overstatement. In the eyes of the Council, that would have been a disaster. They did not want the mortal world, humans particularly, to learn how the system worked. But, the Eight were long gone and her clan-brother intelligent enough to understand the importance of the role his family held in the fate of the world. If she could explain it properly.

_Such knowledge might even be essential for the execution of the prophecy..._

She chose every word with care. She could not divulge the entirety of the seer's divination without the visionaries explicit permission, but she could steer his questions in the right direction—until he figured it out.

"No. Runes were cast and omens seen. Vital for the future, was the Hamato bloodline declared. Needful of a strong, continuous protector. When presented thus, your clan I selected. My best, I have done to preserve it. Its people, its teachings, its honor—though I have not always succeeded."

He nodded.

"And how long will you live?"

She tilted her head at what felt like an abrupt shift of subject, wondering if she misspoke before and he had not understood the importance her answer.

_Why did he ignore my hints about the augury?_

Tired and unable to anticipate the direction of his questions, she touched the surface of his mind to make things easier—and nearly lost hers.

_Father Sky and Moon Mother! Who is this being?_

Donatello's eyes may be serene, but his thoughts were frenzied. His brother claimed him a genius, but this was more than mere intelligence. Under the slimmest of mental shields seethed a whirlwind of reasoning, stronger than that of the Oracle of the Untamed Sky.

While she could not make out the substance of his speculations, a hundred or more topics were under consideration at once. Theorization, testing, scrutiny, and conclusion sped by faster than she could grasp and she had no idea how he made sense of the chaos.

The scientific method was obviously his preferred mode of operation, but on deeper levels, logical deduction clashed with powerful intuition. Below it all lurked a core of profound emotion so intense it took her breath away—focused solely on his family.

They were his catalyst, his driving force. He would do anything, create anything—be anything—to safeguard them.

Cautiously, Alexis withdrew so as not to be trapped in the maelstrom. There was no way to narrow his intentions from it and, in truth, it frightened her a little. If his aura weren't so stable and his personality so kind, she might have feared for his sanity... and the safety of those around him.

As it was, she was almost struck dumb with awe.

_Gods—above and below—help anyone who violates that foundation... with the forces he could bring to bear, the world might end._

A warning trilled along her nerves at the thought but as it did not lead immediately to visions of fire and death, she filed it away to examine later. Right now, he was watching her rather expectantly, seemingly unaware of her discomfiture.

"Un-uncertain, I am," she stuttered in answer to his question. "My life may be forfeit tomorrow or never."

"Dragons live forever?"

Donatello quirked a brow and his mouth curled up at the edges, obviously amused by this turn in the conversation.

"No." Alexis relaxed enough to smile back, though it was a little toothsome. "But our lives can be so long as to feel like it."

"Do you have someone you share it with? Is there a Mr. Hamato Guardian? Or any… dragonlets?"

He asked lightly, with a raised brow; uncertain of the correct term. Alexis stiffened as the topic shifted to matters closer to her own heart.

_He doesn't know how much that hurts. What I have run from. What I have sacrificed._

"No."

She meant it to sound final, to stop that line of questions cold, but Yoshi's sweet face flashed behind her eyes, putting a catch in her voice. Donatello heard. His expression morphed to one of concern as her face crumpled.

"You lost someone," he said. "I'm sorry."

Her chest constricted at the pity in his voice. She'd never spoken of her loneliness. Even those she counted as close among the immortals, did not know her true reasons for taking the Guardianship Oaths. No one understood that the bonds which gave her purpose also kept her away from temptation. Away from her own kind.

_Away from any possible mate._

Yet Alexis did not wish to be alone. Over the years, she had sought other forms of companionship to end her isolation; to fill the void. Unfortunately, they too ended in tragedy.

_My poor little prince._

Maybe it was because she was hurting. Maybe it was because the visions still danced in the back of her mind. Maybe she would discuss anything to keep her thoughts from the strong, proud warrior in the other room. Whatever the reason, she opened her mouth and the words came tumbling out.

"Taken from me, my son was."

Donatello stifled a gasp and leaned closer.

"Your family, my only solace has been for hundreds of years," she explained. "Mostly I watch. Guarding you from the outside, rarely interacting. The Council demanded it, allowing my intervention only when events pointed to great loss."

"I guess that's why the legends, the stories of you, are so vague," he said. She nodded.

"During the feudal wars, I found him—the last male Hamato heir. Lost, he was. Alone. Young enough to not know to fear me for what I am. Him, I sheltered. Him, I loved and cared for as my own."

"What happened?" Donatello asked in a soft undertone.

"Forced me to set him aside, they did," she replied with a bitter snarl.

"Who?"

"The very ones who bid me watch over you. The pain of separation was great and his eventual... death, devastating. Never did I get to speak to him again. To say goodbye. To ask forgiveness," Alexis said, hanging her head. "For a time, I withdrew from the world."

"There is no shame in grieving," he assured her gently.

"Led to failure, my inattention did," she said with a sad shake of her head. "Many years passed and I did not foresee the disaster with your father. Because of me, his loss was disastrous. A child. A wife. An entire clan. A future. To find you thriving despite my incompetence—"

The words clogged her throat and she shuddered, unable to process the air. Her human body reacted differently to this emotion and she wasn't sure how to cope.

"Easy there"—Donatello laid a hand on her arm—"Breathe. I can't imagine how that felt, but we're still here. Hamatos are tough, hard to kill."

His aura shifted with their physical connection. Overwhelming kindness and concern brushed against her, soothing her exposed and tender nerves. A key in the lock opening centuries of protections around her heart.

Alexis sobbed—falling sideways across the gentle turtle's lap and Donatello grounded her, providing a solid anchor amidst her sea of sorrow. He said nothing, merely stroked her back as if he had vast experience with weeping females, but his warmth soothed and surrounded her.

The result was... wet. Messy. Raw. Her eyes grew inflamed as the tears fell. Her face flushed. Her nose produced copious amounts of liquid.

"I— am— sorry, clan-brother," she apologized between gasps and sniffs. She tried to sit up, regain control of herself. She wiped her eyes and stared in uncertainty at the water on her fingertips. "This is new. Dragons do not cry."

"Perhaps they should," he said, smoothing a vagrant strand of hair behind her ear. "Holding in such emotions is not healthy."

She snorted a laugh, startled.

"No tear ducts have we. We keen, but without a Flight to echo the call it is a lonely way to grieve."

"A flight?"

He produced a handkerchief from the pouch at his belt and offered it. The crisp white square seemed an odd thing for a ninja to carry, but she was rapidly discovering Donatello was always prepared. She took it gingerly and dabbed at her face.

"A group who supports the one who keens."

"Ah, I see. So dragons don't spend a substantial amount of time as humans?"

"Few of our kind master the shifting of shape at all and the human form is most difficult."

"Yet you feel the same emotions? Love, honor, grief?"

"Yes. And anger, jealousy, fear."

"Loyalty? Desire?"

She met his eyes—bloodshot brown to calm chocolate. "Yes."

"The knife, the Dai'kroth, it hurt you with emotion, didn't it? Taunted you with failure and despair."

She should be beyond surprise by his observations at this point, but her mouth still dropped open as he uncurled his limbs and rose to his feet. He smiled crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't look so shocked. I spoke to Brenellean about the blade, so I was well aware I had more than one patient on the table. It was brave of you to endure alone, but you hurt Leonardo with your decision."

"You heard us... argue?"

_His mind is strong, but surely my shields are not so weak!_

He chuckled and shook his head taking the sting out of his mild rebuke.

"No, but I can read his body language like a book. He offered to help and you shut him down rather hard."

Alexis stared at him in consternation.

"My brother does not admit his feelings easily," Don continued more seriously. "But when he cares, he tends to hover. After your loss, I can understand if you don't want to be involved with a mortal again, but you've intrigued Leo. Aroused his... interest. If you truly wish him to back off, let me talk to him. He deserves to be let down gently."

His voice held a note of warning and at last his reasoning was clear.

Donatello's vast intellect was rivaled only by the depths of his emotions towards his family. He had noted her interactions with the warrior and he would not permit her to hurt him, either inadvertently or intentionally.

Alexis bit her lip and wondered how to answer. She could no longer deny Leonardo's feelings and pretend she did not understand the hunger in his gaze for she felt it herself every time she looked upon him.

She had begun to think spending time with him was the only way to ease it, perhaps consenting to a casual liaison to assuage her need for physical companionship—though she had never attempted it as a human.

But... Leonardo had allowed their souls to bond.

Wrapping his lifeforce around her had saved her from madness, but the joining of auras inflamed her desire to levels where it became a dangerous thing to acknowledge. For dragons, such interactions were limited to the devotion of a courting partner, and though she knew it was not the same for him, she found the emotions impossible to extinguish.

She had never thought to armor herself against her charges. Not considered the possibility of finding so pure a match in one not of dragon kind. Now they had been connected so, mere companionship would never be enough. She wanted him as mate.

_This can only lead to disaster._

Agonized and unable to explain she remained silent. The genius sighed in disappointment, shoulders drooping.

"You've had a long day," he said. "Please, just think on it."

Alexis' heart betrayed her, clenching and jumping into a panicked rhythm as he turned to leave.

_What if he says something to the warrior before I can explain? Leonardo depends on his advice. What if he turns from me?_

She made the decision in a split second. Despite the danger. Despite the fact it might ruin the prophecy and pitch the world headlong into darkness, she would not, could not let Leonardo go.

"I—"

Donatello paused in the doorway and glanced back at her hesitant vocalization.

"I don't," she whispered, "want him to back off."

He broke into a warm smile. "I thought not."

"But there is more to me than this..." Her eyes filled with trepidation as she gestured to the injured human body she wore; addressing the smallest of her issues, since she couldn't yet explain the rest. "And I may have to leave on the morrow if your master so desires."

"Believe me, Leo sees you more clearly than you think, and father is not so unreasonable."

Alexis shook her head.

"So, this is not really your 'true' form?" he probed, a shrewd gleam in his eye.

The question stung and she protested.

"True are all my shapes! No mimic am I to corrupt souls with copies of their image! Age, species, or size matter not. When I am human, me she is, not a clone of one who ever lived. They are my cells, my bone, my blood."

"Your soul? Your feelings?"

Abashed, she realized where his was leading; far more manipulative in his conversation than she had been in hers.

_If Leonardo cares for me, the form I wear is irrelevant..._

"Besides"—Donatello glanced behind himself and back to her—"you still have tonight to work things out."

She had only a second to consider what he meant before he cleared the doorway and the warrior took his place.

Alexis blanched.

Leonardo's expression was set and smooth, but under the skin, she saw muscles drawn tight as he clenched his teeth. He stepped inside, soundless as only a master ninja could be. Turning from her, he pulled the door shut and... stilled with his back to the room.

Her heart pounded wildly while she waited for him to say something, but the silence grew and he did not move. Finally, she could bear no more. "Warrior—" she started to address him as she struggled to regain her feet.

His question stopped her cold.

"Did you mean it?"

* * *

Donatello's arm snaked out blocking Michelangelo's determined advance across the living room toward the dojo.

"Did she change?" Mikey asked, all in a rush. "Did you see her scales? Are they the same sparkly colors they were in the tunnel? How big are her wings? Do you think, when she's better, she'll take us out for a flight? I wanna see!"

"This isn't the time," Donnie said, holding tight to his arm. "You can fan-boy over her dragon status later."

"But—but—"

"Besides, Leo's in there."

All the wind went out of Mikey's sails and he sagged abruptly, but he bounced back with a new question.

"He's sweet on her, isn't he? How'd that happen so fast? Never thought Fearless would be the love at first sight type."

Don shrugged.

"Some scientists think the brain makes a snap decision about the suitability of everyone you meet as a mate. If the verdict is positive, a simple chemical reaction stimulates one to desire another and attachment keeps them together long enough to raise offspring."

"Geez, Don. Way to suck all the joy out of it! You can't really think that, do ya, bro? Since they're, you know, different species, there has to be more to it."

"I used to," the genius said with a sigh. "It helped with the loneliness. Love was easy to ignore when reduced to a chemical equation, but... emotions aren't so simple. And we've seen factors such as Morgan's glamor which don't fit the theory."

"Well, duh! Science can't explain everything, especially magic!"

"Love isn't magic, Mikey."

"Isn't it? It heals 'lil sis. Makes Raph smile. Turned our leader into a quivering mass of rage."

"You noticed, huh?" Donatello asked.

Michelangelo nodded. "I've never seen him lose it like that. If that's not magic, what is?"

Donnie smiled and hooked an arm around Mikey's shoulders, dragging him further from the dojo door.

"You're right, Mikey, it's magic. Now let's get out of the way so Leo can cast his first spell."

* * *

Leonardo felt far from magical.

Doubt had plagued him since the conversation with Splinter. The only thing which remained clear was that his thoughts—his judgment—in regards to the guardian were unreliable. Desire clouded his mind. Desire which blossomed into overwhelming need when their auras joined. When he held her in his arms, it was the most perfect, if terrifying, moment of his life.

_But am I simply deluding myself? No. If Brenellean is correct in his translation, she feels something for me as well._

Unless the endearment was as inadvertent as the Feyian claimed. Alexis could answer the question but she was still ignoring his mental calls. Only one option remained, to confront her directly.

"Did you mean it?"

"Gomenasai"— her voice broke—"Wrong I was to refuse your help, but you of all the family, I did not wish to burden with such pain."

Her quiet hitch of breath twisted a knife in his heart. Before she even glanced up, he knelt in front of her, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. He froze. Her eyes were wet, inflamed. They hadn't been when Donnie carried her from the lab.

_She's been crying?_

During the worst of the blade's torture, she hadn't shed a tear.

_What broke her?_

The pain was still fresh. Water beaded on her lashes. His face hardened. Don owed him some answers.

"Gomenasai," she repeated, wincing at his fierce expression.

"Don't apologize," he snapped. "You saved our lives. Mine, Morgan's, and the baby's." He closed his eyes a long time and forced his voice to soften, "Doumo sumimasen, arigatou gozaimasu, my Guardian."

Her cheeks reddened at his formal thanks.

_Fantastic. Now I've made her more uncomfortable._

He ground his teeth and released her, holding his hunger at bay. "I am sorry to press you, but I have to know. Did you mean what you said before?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion and his heart sank.

_Was Brenellean right?_

"You never doubted I'd come?" he prompted. "You trust me?"

She nodded, still uncertain. "Your honor never did I question, Warrior."

Leonardo swallowed hard at the generalization, but the painful lump in his throat stayed put. He searched her eyes for golden sparks, seeking any hint of recognition about what he was asking, but there were none.

_I am not her shay'el'esque—no matter that she is mine._

"Thank you," he murmured, rising to his feet. "That's all I needed to hear."

His eyes darted around the dojo and settled on an ancient weapons rack beyond her so he wouldn't stare too longingly. "I hope you will be comfortable here. If you need anything, call out. One of us will attend you."

He turned for the door.

"Leonardo?"

Though she spoke quietly, his name halted him faster than a slap in the face. Instantly, she regained his full attention. He spun; eyes scorching a trail over her.

"Something there is I require."

"Name it."

"A name it has, but easier to show you, it might be?"

A lost look marred her expression and she gestured to him. She wanted assistance regaining her feet. Stiffly, he walked back and offered a hand, bracing himself for the tingling shock of unrequited desire at her touch. As he drew her upward, she wavered and leaned into him, her innate grace almost entirely absent.

_She must be so exhausted._

Her curves brushed against his plastron and he bit back a moan. Closing his eyes, he fought for mastery over his face and body.

_She does not realize what she is doing. She does not want me._

The constant mental mantra was the only thing keeping him in control.

He released her hands to steady her at the waist, but his eyes snapped open when she brushed the back of her fingertips over his cheek. Reaching around his neck, she locked her arms behind his head.

_She does not realize—_

His heart accelerated as she bit her lip, his pulse hammering with the sound of thundering wings. His grip tightened around her almost involuntarily, hands sliding across her back.

_She can't mean to—_

She grasped the tail ends of his mask, drawing him sinuously down until they were face to face. Her eyes flared and he tensed but did not resist as she tilted his head.

The brown drained away, leaving her gaze a deep burnished gold.

As their mouths met, his half-lidded eyes shut. Dazedly, he responded, moving his lips softly against hers; but only at first. A fierce noise of desperation, a hungry growl, escaped his throat as she deepened the kiss.

In seconds desire overwhelmed him and he demanded more, backing her into the nearest wall and planting a thigh firmly between her legs. His hands slid down and hoisted her aloft, pinning her to the stone.

Alexis matched his passion with earnest fervor. Pulling his head down to her and holding fast to prevent him drawing away. Her lips parted under his questing probe and Leo drank her in, savoring each sip as their tongues danced. She was sweetness refined, yet spicy like mulled wine; her mouth hot, wet and oh so inviting.

Her skin warmed and a heavenly, scent surrounded them. Musky and sensual, the erotic fragrance seeped into his senses—a mix of sandalwood and cider. His shell grew tight as the mating instinct surged within him.

_I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming... or is it another vision?_

His lungs burned at the thought her embrace might not be real. That he might be lying alone in bed—though he did not think he could imagine this enticing scent. Panting, he ended the kiss.

"Alexis, please," he breathed, forehead pressed to hers. He dared not move for fear of breaking the spell, "What are we doing?"

She ducked below his chin and nuzzled her cheek against his chest plates, but looked up in dismay at his question. He held his breath, trying to stop her glorious essence from distracting him, but made the mistake of meeting her gaze.

Her pupils were dark vertical slits in the golden brightness of her iris. Copper accents crossed them like bolts of lightning. They made his insides quiver and his thoughts crash down into complete chaos.

_I could be lost forever in such eyes._

"Kissing?"

She said it like a question.

"Did I… Was it… not good? I have not done it before. And I am sorry no water there is, but April said it wasn't strictly necessary—"

Fogged as he was with her nearness, it took him a few seconds to process her distress.

"No. I mean, yes. Alexis, it's perfect. It's just… I… You… want me?"

Startled at the realization he lowered her to the floor and stepped back.

"I do."

The answer was short and brutally honest, accompanied by a baring of teeth in something which wasn't quite a smile; more an aggressive expression of pure desire. To another, it might have been intimidating.

It made Leonardo's pulse race, his stomach tighten.

"Since your eyes you first opened in that dangerous building."

This admission sounded forced and she turned her face away. "Ashamed am I, to have demanded such a prize as your kiss this night, but I did not wish to go to my fate without experiencing… everything."

She still smiled, but Leo's breath caught as a single crystal tear ran down her face. He reached out and brushed it away, caressing her delicately with a finger. She touched his hand but did not stop him this time, instead, she held his palm tenderly to her cheek.

Eyes burning, he stepped back into her embrace, wrapping his free arm around her waist.

"There is more to claim, if you so desire."

_She can have everything. My heart, my mind are already hers..._

She shook her head. "I cannot ask it. You know not all that I am."

"Then show me."

Alexis' eyes dimmed, the weight of centuries heavy in her gaze.

"I do not want to ruin this... peaceful, perfect moment."

Leonardo leaned in and claimed her lips again, lightly brushing his hand across her cheek before pulling back.

"You cannot... shay'el'esque."


	14. Wrong

Alexis jerked back, her eyes springing open wide. Leonardo anticipated the motion and moved with her, tenderly cradling her cheek. For one frozen moment, her heart soared on gilded wings. She had never thought to hear that word.

_Shay'el'esque_

This was no token endearment but a vow. A covenant pledged with one's whole being. Were she to accept, the link forged between their souls would be irreversible, enforced by powers unseen.

_A binding so permanent even death would not undo it._

The glow of their previous unification flared in her mind, resplendent and tantalizing. Contemplating eternity within that dazzling combination of auras left her wonderstruck.

_He is more than simply attracted to me, he returns my feelings!_

And he proposed to keep her safe forever. His oath would protect her the way she protected him. Free her from the machinations of her kin and the clutches of the shadowy daemon who haunted her past. She opened her shields to assent, but...

_He is mortal._

The thought brought her crashing back to reality. She cared for the warrior, had chosen to pursue him as far as he would allow and damn the consequences, but this was wrong. Despite the fact he wanted her in return.

Such a pact would not compensate for the shifts of affection most mortals suffered. Human lust was a shallow thing, often barely strong enough to endure the short length of their own lifespan, much less an immortal's. True love, rarer still among his kind, was unlikely to be offered to her.

_He can't possibly understand what he is committing to._

Until a week ago, Leonardo had never met a dragon, or suspected their existence. How could she have forgotten, even for a moment, that he was only human? He may be her beloved, but he was also a Hamato. One of her sworn charges.

_Fragile. In need of protection from so many things. Even myself._

If she selfishly accepted his proposal anyway, he might come to despise the ties and be injured by the magic. The Dai'kroth's vision had illustrated that possibility all too clearly.

_I cannot ask him to take that risk._

Memories of him writhing in pain haunted her, but surely rejecting him outright was not the only way forward. Might she be able to walk the fine line between loving him and remaining true to her Guardianship?

_Maybe, but not if he keeps tempting me with the impossible._

"I have born many names, Leonardo, but... call me not by that one," she pleaded.

His thumb halted its gentle stroke midway across her cheek. His eyes narrowed. After weighing the seriousness in her expression, he nodded sharply once in acknowledgment—though hurt flashed across his features.

Alexis frowned, hating the flash of negative emotion. Yet, for this to work, she would have to change her thinking. Dragons were fiercely protective and possessive. Once paired, they stayed partnered for life. The idea another being might eventually steal away his affections cut her to the bone, but she had to allow for such unthinkable things. She could not punish him for being what he was.

"I have to prove myself worthy," he said, "I understand."

Her brow furrowed and she gave a frustrated little growl. He misunderstood. She didn't need him to demonstrate anything. The way her heart twisted at his pain confirmed it was already lost. She adored him, desired him, needed him by her side. And she _wanted_ to be bound, to proclaim him her shay'el'esque and answer proudly to the title herself.

_That doesn't change anything. It's still wrong..._

"No," she protested. "Power there is behind such a claim and great hazard in it should your feelings change—"

"That's what's bothering you?"

Extraordinary eyes trapped her uncertain ones, locking on with a strength born of complete confidence. Where before they had been as restless as the sea and clouded with roiling emotions, now they were crystalline as blue topaz.

_And hungry..._

"I have no intention of pursuing any other," he murmured in a husky voice laden with promise, "but if only time will assure you of that, I will wait."

She shivered at his intense tone. Under his clear gaze, the remainder of her protests died. His mouth claimed hers again, igniting a fire in her belly which had nothing to do with elemancy.

_I was wrong._

Leonardo's desire was not the simple craving of a human. His ravenous kiss spoke of a passion equal to her own. Against it, the appeal of all others dimmed.

_Besides, his soul cannot lie._

His aura pulsed rawly, its energy persuasive and impossible to ignore. It stroked her entire body with soft tendrils—promising acceptance and companionship. A guttural sound escaped her throat as he broke the kiss, something akin to a deep moan of protest at his mouth's absence. His grip around her tightened.

"You need not fear to show me all you are," he whispered.

Alexis shuddered at the reminder.

_He deserves to see what he's fallen for. If he still desires me after..._

"I— Some space, I require," she said.

He released his hold on her waist and stepped back, but only to the length of his arm. His palm still rested on her cheek as if he could not bear to part from her. She tilted her face into it before stepping back a few paces of her own. A chill overcame her as his fingertips slipped off. She clenched her teeth and her eyes.

_That may be the last time he touches me voluntarily..._

He noted her tension and his voice became a velvet caress.

"Alexis, I'm not going anywhere."

She began the change to full dragon with the utmost care, painfully aware of his presence. She did not wish to crowd or frighten him, but how could she not? The transformation was dramatic and fear was an instinctive reaction to her kind.

During the first stage, her skin altered—rippling to reveal her bloodline colors through millions of tiny scales. Unlike her quick adjustment in the tunnel, this time she absorbed her garments. Clothes would never cover the next phase.

Leonardo gasped and she cringed, but she was committed now. She dropped to all fours and powerful muscles contorted under her hide, realigning the bone structure. In the blink of an eye, her size quadrupled, neck lengthening until she towered over him. Her jaw extended and scores of deadly teeth gleamed in her mouth. A heavy protective ridge formed over huge eyes and her hair twisted tight and hardened into two tapered horns.

Finally, her tail and wings reappeared from the nothingness in which they dwelt. Alexis stretched, extending them towards the ceiling and walls as cramps from long confinement shuddered through her.

Her metamorphosis did not go unnoticed by the local elementals. A salamander and a sylph crept out of hiding, eager to impress this new mage in their midst. They lent their talents in what they must assume was to be an intimidating display. Fire tipped her outstretched wings and ran over the taut span, highlighting the impressive spread. Wind whipped in from nowhere, twining around her and whistling a haunting, aggressive sound.

She hunched back. Scare tactics were the last thing she wanted! With a growl of displeasure and a scolding thought, Alexis banished the curious creatures and doused the fire. Trying to be safe for him, she tucked in her long talons and curled her feet beneath her. She ignored the protesting ache in her hurt leg and twisted her barbed tail tight against her body. When she was lying as flat as possible, she furled her wings, flinching only a little as the injured one folded.

The room was deathly silent. Leonardo's aura had not moved an inch, but she dared not open her eyes, afraid of what might be lurking in his beautiful blue gaze. She lowered her head in his direction—tilting her horns out of the way—hoping against hope he could accept her.

* * *

A life lived underground, fighting to protect his family and his city, had vastly broadened Leonardo's horizons. Interacting first with other mutants, then aliens, and now the Fey had taught him humanity was not the only sentient inhabitant of this world. The concept of dragons did not seem so out there. While he was prepared for something amazing, he thought he knew what to expect.

_I was wrong._

As she changed, his stomach began to flutter violently. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and the trembling spread until it reverberated through his entire being. It took every second of all his years of meditation and training in mind over body to remain where he was and on his feet...

But not because he was afraid.

Leonardo stared, covering his chest with one hand as though it could help contain his racing heart. Alexis as a dragon transcended his understanding. He could not have imagined this. Or the vast power she radiated.

She stood right in front of him, but he could not believe his eyes. Her very presence challenged reality. Her aura pulsed with such authority it stole the breath from his lungs.

_She is magnificent..._

His gaze darted over her, jumping from feature to feature so rapidly he almost didn't have time to absorb the details. Alexis did not boast the serpentine form of dragons in the Eastern style artist's renderings. Nor did she conform to the views of the West. Instead, she seemed a perfectly sculpted amalgamation of the two.

Compact and heavily muscled in the manner of an alpha predator, her body was enormous, supporting a heavy, wedge-shaped head. Her rear legs were built like those of a raptor—double jointed to provide vast upward thrust when leaping to the sky or eviscerating prey. Her front were slimmer, straighter, and possibly doubled as arms when she sat upright.

Armored plates in jewel tones covered the underside of her face, neck, and belly. Smaller plates—or were they large scales?—guarded her shins and ankles. Three-toed feet ended in deadly sharp talons and her massive tail lashed the floor. Graduated and flexible as a whip, it doubled her length. Knife-edged barbs gleamed wickedly from its tip. He swallowed hard.

_Those could do some serious damage._

These fearsome traits were softened by a series of accents he could only describe as feminine. Alexis' face was delicately pointed. Her neck long and sinuous. Darker scales trailed up her muzzle and painted a mask across her eyes, while leaf-shaped ones of deep violet trimmed the half-circles under them.

His breath caught at the beguiling grace of the gazelle-like horns crowning her head. Tucked just behind her ears, they spiraled high with lethal beauty. Long, soft and furry—like a wild deer—her ears twisted towards him at the gasp, then turned back shyly.

_I'll bet she can hear my slightest breath. My pulse thundering out of control..._

As different as they were, her features affected him in much the same way as those of her human form. Leonardo gasped and swallowed again, this time to try and prevent the rumbled he felt building in his chest.

_Will she have the same response? If I trace my thumb over her mask, will she close her eyes? Sigh in delight?_

A silken mane clung to her cheeks and sensitive whiskers trailed from her jaw. His abs clenched as he imagined the hours he might spend just sitting with her head in his lap, stroking her softly.

_Those lustrous strands coiling and running through my fingers in a sort of exalted meditation—_

He flushed at the thought, especially since the same silky fur trailed down her neck, across her back, and over her hindquarters. Even the tip of her tail was marked with a tuft; hiding the deadly barbs.

_If she would ever allow me such things..._

Alexis had many surprising adornments he wanted to explore, but the most unexpected was a crest of bright feathers atop her head. Indigo merged into teal. Red violet to deep midnight blue. Sea-foam turned to the darkest green. Each plume melted from one color to the next and all of them shimmered with an opalescent sheen.

_Feathers? On a dragon?_

Leonardo had never heard of such a thing, but in fact, she was accented all over with them. Fan shaped bursts graced the back of her forelegs while tinier more delicate plumage fluffed over her ankles.

_But where are her wings?_

All thought ceased as they erupted from within her vast form.

He had seen the perfect drawing of wings once—in his father's book of Renaissance Masters. He remembered being drawn to them, at least in part, because they were designed by his namesake, Leonardo Da Vinci. A man who believed mortals would one day fly.

At the time, he thought them the most beautiful rendition he'd ever seen. Donatello had praised them as intrinsically perfect. Alexis' outshone them in every way.

While sharing a similar shape, hers were nearly translucent. Rainbows of light shimmered over the flexible surface, highlighting the hollows of the bones and spines supporting them. Alexis stretched and their iridescent span filled the entire room.

In a blaze of light and heat, they caught fire. Wild wind swept in stirring the flames as a choir of invisible voices sang her praise. Awe overcame him. Immersed in a combination of dread and delight, he fought the desire to close his eyes against her glory and throw himself at her feet in adoration.

Alexis was a goddess and he would gladly worship her with humiliation and obeisance.

The fear in her posture stopped that feeling in its tracks. She doused the fire before scrunching back as far from him as she could in the limited space. She did not open her eyes. Tension radiated from her and her aura darkened.

_No. This is wrong! She should not be afraid..._

Leo's heart spasmed at the change and he instantly started forward. Though his carefully cultivated instincts screamed danger at approaching such immense energy, he ignored them for the first time in his life. Alexis' power remained tightly leashed and under absolute control. Not only confined by her oath of Guardianship, but by another more binding force.

Leonardo's hand rose of its own accord and rested gently on her face.

Alexis gave a soft whiffle of surprise as his tentative touch trailed up her long nose and over the ridges of her formidable jowls, but she held absolutely still. He traced the planes of her cheek with the same tenderness he'd shown her in human form and watched with wide-eyed reverence as the caress caused her scales to catch the light like a sea of diamonds.

Slowly, his fingers smoothed their way under her chin. His other hand joined in, roaming freely over her head and neck, stroking her silken fur. She shivered as he leaned in.

Without fear, he pressed his lips against the satin smoothness of her forehead.

"Alexis"—his voice was all honey, drawing out her name, sweet and slow.

"Open your eyes."


	15. Still Breathing

At long last, everyone was at rest. Splinter crossed their living area with the utmost care to keep it that way, slinking through the shadows cast by the nightlights of the lair. Silent as a sigh despite the protests of his old bones.

Life in the sewers had taken its toll on his physique over the years. What once came easily was now obtained only with effort. However, his senses remained sharp and his mind sharper still, so when the fur on the back of his neck began to rise and an annoying buzz sounded in his head, he listened to both warnings and froze.

Something shimmered at the edge of his vision. Not a light but a patch of deeper blackness. Two-dimensional, he would have dismissed it as nothing more than another shadow, but it existed without an object to cast it. His ears pressed flat to his skull when it twitched and jolted into motion, scurrying erratically across the floor towards his own objective.

_The dojo._

An icy chill slithered down his spine as it slipped under the threshold. This thing, whatever it was, did not belong in their home. How it had circumvented the protections of Donatello's security and the psychic traps set by the Feyian was a subject to be explored later. Now, he desperately needed a location on his children.

He would not have any of them accosted in their sleep.

He blinked, engaging his second sight and cast his mental net wide. Morgan lay wrapped protectively in Raphael's aura above him to the right, safe in their shared room. Michelangelo slept next door to them. Donatello's presence was in the lab on the lower level, though he remained stationary so he had more than likely fallen asleep over some project.

But Leonardo's was on the other side of the dojo door.

Splinter's heart skipped a beat. It was not unusual to find his eldest there at almost any hour, but tonight something was different. His son's essence was not bright and swirling as when he was awake, nor stable in relaxed meditation or sleep. It pulsed in a fixed location, flickering and dipping so low it was almost extinguished at times before regaining its strength.

Leonardo battled on a spiritual plane.

The old master launched himself at the door, aches and pains forgotten. He flung the portal open with a crack loud enough to wake the entire household and stopped dead in the entrance. The room was black as pitch. Even the eternal candle on the shrine had been extinguished.

He reached for the light switch but as he shifted away from the door he hesitated. The dim glow from the room behind him fell across the floor in a large blue-ish rectangle, illuminating a still form.

Leonardo sat in the center of the room in a pose of deep meditation, legs crossed, feet drawn up over his thighs. His hands rested on his knees with the fingertips touching. It was a familiar position, one he had taught the turtle at a young age to help him focus. This time, there was something wrong. His son bowed partially over as if in grief.

As Splinter watched, Leonardo threw back his head and let out a piercing cry of loss. A broken sob followed. He held no shields and raw mental pain blasted from him in wave after wave. His call was a single name, repeated over and over. A plea for his mate which would remain unanswered.

_This is my fault._

He had banished the dragon, wresting from her a vow to never contact his sons again.

Wrapped in his own ancient grief, Splinter had committed a father's worst sin. He knew his son was in love with the Guardian, yet he could not bring himself to reconcile with her. Her presence triggered an anger he thought himself long past.

Leonardo did not know. Could not understand why she disappeared and refused to answer him. His aura pulsed slower each time silence met his scream. His mad despair became a lure, drawing in creatures of darkness. Splinter had done more than break his son's heart, he had crushed his spirit.

_I should never have sent her away._

Behind Leonardo's shell, the lurking shadow stretched, growing ominously, feeding on his pain. It took on a horrifying shape, rearing up and producing bat-like wings and a sharp cruel beak.

"NO!" Splinter yelled, throwing out a hand in protest. There was nothing he could do about this attack. Or was there? "Leonardo! Shields!" He barked in his command voice, hoping reflex would cause his son to obey, but the turtle only sagged where he sat and did not move.

"Please," Splinter cried, "Defend yourself!"

Without a sound, the shadow opened its maw and dove toward his son's exposed neck.

Fire seared its way across the room and crashed into the shadowy form, knocking it away from the motionless turtle and pinning it to the floor. It lay writhing, keening a death knell as Splinter followed the path of the bolt backward with shocked eyes.

The figure emerging from the shadows was beautiful in a monstrous sort of way. A bestial head swayed on a long neck. Polished ivory teeth gleamed in a double row in its mouth and creamy horns jutted toward the sky. In the light of the flaring remains, its scales shimmered in the most remarkable shades.

The fierce head with it's elegant muzzle lowered to rest behind Leonardo's shoulder.

Being faced with such a massive predator so suddenly caused all Splinter's fur to stand on end. His whiskers twitched and his body tensed, but he stepped back only once. With a smooth shift of weight, he firmed his stance, ready to face this new threat to his child. He may not be able to defend against a shadow, but this monster had mass—something he could fight, even if it meant his end.

The beast did not move. Its huge golden eyes merely peered at him with profound sadness.

Leonardo slowly raised his head. His eyes burned preternaturally bright in the gloom as he regarded his master. A sinuous tail swirled out of the black and wrapped possessively around him as he reached up without looking and touched the monster's cheek in a gentle caress.

"Welcome father. Thank you for joining us."

* * *

Splinter bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath. The dream faded and his eyes focused on the silken screen across the room—directly on the shape of the Guardian. He groaned and covered his face with a paw, waiting for the familiar shudders of a seer's vision to overtake him. Surprisingly, they remained absent. He breathed a sigh of relief.

_A nightmare. Nothing but fear of mistakes I might make._

Tomorrow, the dragon wished to be presented formally and the prospect filled him with dread. Would he welcome her and praise her assistance? Or would his emotions overflow and lead to a devastating split in their family?

Conflicting feelings pulled him this way and that. Anger and loss clashed with gratitude and hope, leaving a churning mess in their wake. A father's love and protective instincts at war with each other.

Both Leonardo and Donatello had visited him last night. One begged for understanding. The other offering advice and caution. Neither's counsel assuaged his discord though they nearly broke his heart with their pleas.

_And likely inspired my dream._

Splinter thought he had accepted the fate of his human wife and child. Saki caused their destruction a long time ago and there was nothing more to be done. With his transformation—their mutation—he changed his name, granted himself a new start with a new family.

Even the reappearance of his old enemy had not shaken him. Yet, confirming the Guardian existed and therefore might have saved his old one turned his reality sideways.

Finding the dragon had not been as much of a surprise to him as to his sons. He had begun to suspect her existence some while ago, and truth be told had wanted a confrontation. The amorphous anger and guilt he had felt after he fled to New York refused to dissipate with time. It had simply festered. Eventually, he needed someone else to blame—so he could stop blaming himself.

It was easy to project hate on a mysterious, legendary beast. It wasn't so easy to pin it on the exhausted immortal resting in the dojo. One who had delivered his oldest son from certain death, protected his daughter from horrible agony, and granted his grandchild a chance at life. He was not ungrateful, but it didn't make him trust her. She was required by her vow to render such aid.

There was also Leonardo's instant attachment to consider. His son was no fool. He did not give his affections easily and he had never given his heart before. For him to do so was a sterling recommendation of character... if it were truly his choice.

The speed of the emotions riled the master's suspicions. He had attended Donatello when he suffered under a similar magical attraction. He did not wish a repeat of the experience.

Splinter sighed. What he _wanted_ to do was send her away and excise these conflicting emotions, but that was out of the question. One didn't need to be clairvoyant to understand the consequences of such a poor decision, even his subconscious knew better. The animosity, disappointment, and suppressed longing he endured were his own problems.

_I've already lost a daughter because of the dragon. I will not lose a son._

He was thinking in circles. With an irritated snap of his jaws, Splinter climbed out of bed and pulled on his worn red robe. Sleep had deserted him and probably would remain absent the rest of the night.

_Perhaps in meditation a solution will present itself._

He shuffled into his receiving area and lit the incense—a blend the Hamato family used since a time before remembering—hoping the familiar scent would soothe him into a calmer state. He concentrated, blocking out physical sensations one by one, but the trance eluded him.

His ears twitched at a rustling sound in the common rooms outside his apartments and he frowned. It was three in the morning. The entire family had been beyond tired. Nobody should be up.

On edge from his dream, Splinter crept to his door and soundlessly slid the shoji screen open. There was no light outside but the noise came again from the direction of the kitchen. Using all his stealth, he glided through the living room and took up an offensive stance near the doorway.

The pungent scent of vinegar assaulted his sensitive nose.

_Pickles... and vanilla?_

He smiled for the first time in what felt like months and a little of his tension eased. Morgan, his beautiful—pregnant—daughter was rummaging for midnight snacks. She hadn't since before her illness first appeared, too fragile most days to leave her bed on her own.

Gradually, he allowed the veil clouding his aura to slip away so she could 'see' him, for it was not healthy to startle a woman in her condition. Especially if it caused an involuntary shift to her child.

"Splinter"—Morgan whirled around—"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?"

He flipped on the light. Laid out neatly on the counter were a line of bread, margarine, cold cuts, lettuce, tomato, and other condiments followed by a stack of completed sandwiches five tall. There was also a half full bowl of ice cream into which she was dunking a whole pickle, and an open box of his favorite almond cookies. She dropped the half-eaten vegetable into the dish and wiped her hands hastily on a towel as he approached.

"Not at all, my dear. I seek a cup of tea, and perhaps, one of these sweets."

He chuckled at her guilty expression and pressed a gentle paw to her hand. "It is good to see you up and about, Morgan, no matter the time. And you are welcome to all the cookies you can eat."

Morgan flushed, then startled him with a massive hug. Splinter's arms automatically closed around her. She was too thin. It would be awhile before she regained the soft curves of her former self, but if her appetite remained strong she would recover.

With a shudder, she sank into his embrace and relaxed. Her fearless acceptance of him as part of her family continued to amaze him. His sons may be ruggedly handsome, but most people weren't into hugging a rat. Morgan had never flinched from him.

She hiccuped and he realized she was crying, tears leaving a damp patch on the shoulder of his robe. "Shh," he murmured, rubbing her back. "Everything's going to be ok now." Her sobs died quickly to sniffles and she drew back with a watery smile and a small blush.

"Thanks," she said. "I needed that. Raph's been a rock, but he freaks out at the sudden tears."

Splinter chuckled quietly again. "I am more familiar with the phenomenon."

He remembered such symptoms from long ago. The cravings. The mood swings. The nights his wife had sought comfort for emotions well beyond her control.

_And Shen endured a far less stressful pregnancy..._

Coupled with his other thoughts tonight, he expected the memory to hurt, but instead, another soft smile creased his face. He hadn't recalled those happier early days in quite some time.

"You miss her— them."

"Always," Splinter admitted.

Morgan dropped her eyes shyly.

"Can you ask your wife a question for me? I mean, on the spirit plane? Because I— I'd like permission for something."

Splinter winced as his anger flared anew at her words. He wasn't surprised she knew about the place where they spoke to their ancestors. Leonardo had been teaching her meditation and other mental exercises before, as they explored the extent of her abilities.

_But what she asks is impossible._

"I cannot," he said as calmly as he could.

He may have succeeded in keeping the emotions from his voice but he couldn't hide the change in his aura without disappearing from her sight. Morgan inhaled sharply at his stab of agony.

"I—I'm sorry!" she stuttered. "I didn't mean to impose"—she clenched her hands and turned away—"I should have asked Raph to do it, but he's not the strongest at that sort of thing. I just thought it would be nice coming from you."

Her instant contrition roused him from a mire of grief and self-pity. Morgan fit so well into their family he often forgot the poor girl didn't know every detail of their story. He hadn't shared with her his greatest shame.

_That when my beloved wife and daughter were killed in the blaze I left them without a proper funeral._

"You misunderstand"—his voice broke, but he firmed it again—"It is not an inconvenience. She is lost to us, unreachable."

_Condemned to haunt our burnt out shell of a home for all eternity._

Even if there had been a feasible way to separate their ashes from those of the building, there wasn't time to see them properly interred. Shredder and the Foot Clan had seen to that.

_Shen and Miwa are gone forever. Locked away from me and the rest of our ancestors._

Morgan's head jerked up and her brow furrowed. She swung around in confusion peering into the very walls of their home, and he was reminded again of her unique abilities. She often saw more than the sighted.

"But, Splinter..." her voice was uncertain. "I thought— I could have sworn—"

"What is it, child?"

"Nothing. Must be my hormones playing tricks."

She shook her head and picked up a sandwich. Taking a huge bite, she made a face. "These are not as good as Mikey's. I swear that boy is a wizard in the kitchen."

Splinter smiled again, this time with a father's pride. All his sons had unique skills and it warmed his heart Michelangelo's were finally getting some appreciation.

"He will be pleased."

The wise master knew Morgan was extraordinary. He had trusted her from the second she set foot through their door, but it was in that moment he realized just how perceptive and intelligent his daughter actually was. With a single facial expression and a few well-chosen words she had completely diverted him from his painful memories and focused his thoughts on the present.

_Perhaps hers is the voice I have been needing to hear._

"Your gifts are impressive as well, my dear."

She shook her head. "Mine are an accident of birth, his are skills."

"It took skill to tame my Raphael."

She let out a startled laugh, an amazing chiming sound which demanded a listener join in. While genuine, it reminded Splinter of her glamor. She had never intended to ensnare Donatello, but he feared Leonardo's connection was far more deliberate. Though, what the Guardian would gain from such a binding eluded him.

_Maybe she can tell if Leonardo suffers something similar?_

"Tame?" she asked with a raised brow, regaining his attention.

Splinter chuckled along with her and shifted to start the tea. "You taught him in one night the meditation I tried to reach him with for years, and you even didn't know he was there."

"Just breathe," she murmured.

"Exactly."

She shrugged modestly. "That wasn't skill. He just needed someone on the outside to remind him what he already knew."

"Sometimes we all need that."

Splinter's sigh was almost inaudible, but Morgan caught it. Her head tilted left and right like a shy, wild thing as she assessed his mood.

"Leo does the same thing when he's worried," she said. "What is troubling you?"

"The past. The present. The destiny of this family."

He brought his tea to the table, settled into a chair, and bowed his head. He should not be placing his burdens on her shoulders but... she carried the future. Morgan sat down beside him and rested a hand on his arm.

"Tell me."

"The dragon is tied to them all."

"Alexis?"

"She is the Hamato Guardian."

"Raph explained it and I sensed the connection when she was helping me. But... her presence bothers you?"

"Yes and no. She saved you, my child, and that I can not regret, but the timing concerns me. Why is she here... now?"

Sorrow gleamed in Morgan's eyes. She saw right through his vague reference.

"You mean as opposed to then."

She sighed and lightly stroked the back of his paw. "I don't know why she couldn't save them, but Splinter—we don't always get the fairytale ending." She laughed again, but this time it was a brittle, bitter sound. "You and I understand that more than most. Sometimes the best we can do is hold on to the faith that things will get better, then keep breathing until they do."

Morgan took a deep breath.

"And things did. Look around you. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael—your sons are amazing. And if you hadn't come here, they wouldn't exist. You were still healing, but every day you shaped them into who they are today. Through them, you gave me the greatest gift. Your son brought hope, peace, joy, and love back into my life when I thought I would never experience them again. And Raphael gave us her."

She lifted Splinter's paw from the table and gently placed it on her stomach. His eyes filled with tears as the baby rolled under his touch and a small bright patch of amber aura glowed to his second sight.

"Her?" he asked.

Morgan nodded. "We would like, with your blessing, to name her Miwa."

He choked, emotion clogging his throat. "This is what you wished me to ask Shen?"

She nodded again, self-consciously.

"There is no need." He reached up to wipe a new tear off her face as his own fell freely. "I know her answer. We would be honored."

She pulled him close for another hug and, this time, it was he who cried on _her_ shoulder as she stroked his back.

"Everything's going to be ok now."

* * *

A feather light presence brushed against his aura and Leonardo suppressed a shiver where he knelt in front of his father. Morgan's essence was familiar from months ago when they were still practicing together. But, after last night, it felt odd to have someone other than Alexis touch him that way.

He exchanged a quick glance with the others kneeling around Splinter and Morgan in a half circle on the living room floor. Michelangelo could hardly contain himself. Don was calm. Raph's eyes never left his mate and his father's gaze was hooded. April and Casey observed side by side from the sofa pushed to the edge of the room. Both looked a bit nervous.

Leo fidgeted despite the fact he had asked Morgan to examine him. Brenellean had taught her to take the 'temperature' of a mortal, to gauge more than mood or physical injury with her talent. Now she could see and measure connections as well, magical and emotional. He hoped it would put Splinter's fears of a second glamor by Alexis' hand to rest.

_Though it may not be necessary..._

Splinter was different this morning. More relaxed and subdued than he had been in the last few weeks. Although that might be wholly due to Morgan's miraculous recovery. She practically glowed where she stood in front of him.

"You're clean," she said to the group with a bright smile. "You're choices are your own." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "And your emotions are quite solid," she whispered in his ear.

He flushed but returned her affection with a soft smile of his own. "Thanks, sis."

"So, we gonna do this?" Raph groused as Morgan made her way to April and Casey on the couch.

"Please, please, please?" Mikey added about to jump out of his skin. "I want to see the dragon!"

Donnie smiled at his antics. "I'm not sure you can handle that yet."

Leo flushed again. Don had found him after he left Alexis last night on his hands and knees outside the dojo door—panting and shaking in reaction. She had taken him at his word and hadn't held anything back when he asked to see everything she was.

Splinter straightened his ceremonial kimono and turned to light additional candles on the ancestral altar they had moved in from the dojo. When he was satisfied all was in order, he addressed them.

"Leonardo"—his father's voice was grave—"please have our guest join us."

Leo rose and crossed to the dojo door. They were all in formal gear and his extra-long, silk mask tails fluttered softly in the breeze of his motion, twining with the blue ribbons of his decorated blades. He paused at the screen and bowed his head.

_This is it. No going back._

After this, his life would pivot. He may be the leader of their fighting force, but his father was the Clan Elder and the decisions he made today would be binding. Leo sensed Splinter's mind was made up, though he couldn't tell what conclusion the rat had come to. The Master had hidden his aura behind tight shields and his face gave nothing away.

Leonardo swallowed hard before smoothing his features and moving the door aside.

Alexis stood just inside the panel and his breath caught. Behind him, the others gasped, though Mikey was probably a bit disappointed. She was inhumanly beautiful, but the dragon wore a mortal form and robes as formal as their own.

Leonardo had seen her this way once before. The kimono was the same pale blue and red as she had worn in his vision—silk, embroidered with the elaborate symbols of their clan and her guardianship. Her long dark hair was swept upward and decorated with bright plumage he recognized as her own feathered dragon crown.

She carried a small golden box in hands clasped demurely in front of her, but her knuckles were pale with the tension of her grip. Leo roughly controlled his desire to touch those hands in comfort and instead swung away with an open palm and arm, gesturing to the waiting gathering.

She paced silently before him, passing between the divided row of his siblings and stopping before Splinter. Leonardo re-joined Donatello, kneeling on his father's right. Splinter's eyes flashed as he drew himself up to begin the ceremony.

"Declare yourself," the master commanded.

"Before you, I stand. The dragon Alexiandretta, clan-woman by oath and Guardian of the Hamato line."

"Are there any among my people who can vouch for you?"

The words were formal, part of a ritual belonging to the distant past. Leo was prepared for them. The rite required a response and he was the one who had witnessed her transformation. He raised his hand.

"I," he said.

To his surprise, more voices chimed in. His brothers all raised their hands.

"I."

"I."

"I."

But they weren't the only ones. Leonardo's eyes widened as April appeared in his field of view, standing on Splinter's left.

"I," she said.

Morgan took up a position on Splinter's near right and winked at Leo.

"I," she said, "but there are others here who would be heard."

She faced the altar, dropped to her knees, and laid her palms flat on the table.

"Angel," Raphael said in a careful tone, "what are you doing?"

"Returning a gift," she muttered. She raised her voice. "Those who would speak come forward."

There was a strong mental surge and a crack of bluish light split the empty air. It opened in much the same fashion as the realm of Shadow, but this was not that domain. A glowing, near translucent, man stepped forth, one Leonardo instantly recognized from his quest for mastery.

"Sensei," he exclaimed.

Leo's index fingers touched and his palms hit the floor as he bowed reverently from his kneeling position, then his gaze snapped back to Morgan. Instead of visiting in spirit, somehow the young Feyian had opened a direct portal to the ancestral plane.

His teacher was only the first to emerge.

Figure after figure stepped through—Men, women, and children—until the whole room was crowded with them. And still they came, backing into the open door of the dojo. Some he recalled from his quest, some from his vision of the past, all raised a hand and each said "I."

Leo's shocked gaze swept over his master's face. Splinter's furry ears swiveled to catch their voices, his eyes gleamed, and his jaw hung slightly ajar. He had never seen his father quite so flummoxed.

Eventually, there was a pause in the flow and a sharp breath from Morgan drew his attention. She had wilted a little.

"Father," he breathed in a whisper, "we need to hurry."

Splinter nodded, shook himself and cleared his throat.

"You are as you claim. All of Clan Hamato are welcome here."

"Clan to Clan, you I greet," Alexis finished, "For this home, I will treat as my own. Guard its people I will. Though it cost my life."

Splinter's gaze skimmed the gathered spirits.

"You have discharged that duty with exceptional care for many years, Alexiandretta. Thank you, my ancestors, for the timely reminder."

He gave them all a deep bow of respect as they began to file back through the gate.

"True, I wish that was," Alexis said. "Too many mistakes have I made, and only one may I atone for." She dropped to her knees and bowed her head in front of Splinter. When she sat back up, her expression was full of pain.

"Your wife and child suffered horribly because of me. No excuse can I give. My oath of guardianship I shall pass to another and my life shall be yours to end as you see fit."

Leonardo closed his eyes in horror as his brothers choked. He had hoped she would reconsider her offer after last night, but honor drove her forward. He held his breath, waiting for his father's response.

"I do not wish to end your life."

The leader sighed in relief, the air puffing out his cheeks, but Alexis gave a cry and pushed her face to the floor.

"Do not banish me," she begged. "Please, send me not back to isolation!"

As she sat up, she drew a tanto from her belt and placed it against her throat. "If you wish not to do the deed, my own life I can take on your command."

"NO!" Leonardo shouted, but before he could move another intervened.

"Kāchan, Suru na!"

Alexis jerked as if she had been shot. She dropped the knife as a small spirit broke free from the remaining group and ran at her.

"Yoshi?" she gasped.

Climbing shakily to her feet, she raised her arms in time for the boy to launch himself into them, pressing his cheek to hers.

"Mamma, don’t do it," he repeated, hugging her tight. "They need you."

He turned toward the shocked turtles and waved with a child's frantic glee.

"Hi Leo! Hi Raph! High three, Mikey! Hi Donnie!"

"Dude, he remembered!" Michelangelo chuckled.

"Yoshi, you know them?" Alexis was totally bewildered.

The little prince wriggled until she set him down. He ran to Leonardo, grabbed his hand and dragged the stunned turtle back to her. He shoved their palms together before stepping back with a large grin.

"He saved me, Momma. In the woods after you left me with Mitsu. When the hut burned."

"What?" Alexis demanded. "How is this possible?"

Leonardo raised his other hand to clasp hers and stared into eyes which had become a startling shade of gold. "I told you, we traveled through time."

Leo brushed a tear from her cheek. "Kāchan?" he asked.

Alexis flushed.

"I was adopted." The boy's voice grew deeper and his body transformed into one of a grown man with a scar across his face, but his eyes remained the same—perfect mirrors of Leonardo's. He glanced at Morgan and frowned. "I have to go, she can't keep the gate open much longer."

He reached out and touched Alexis. Leo fought to restrain a growl, finding himself feeling extremely aggressive despite knowing the man considered himself her son.

"Forgive yourself, Guardian. I never blamed you." His gaze darted to Splinter's before returning to hers. "Give him the gift and let go of the past. It's the future they need you for, and it's coming fast."

The proud warrior turned and strode away, pausing only to bow before Splinter at the opening of the portal.

"Yoshi," he greeted with a nod.

"Yoshi," Splinter replied.

Donatello stared after him. "The universe is oddly cyclical," he said.

"Gift?" Leonardo asked.

Alexis pointed at the small gold package she had left on the floor. "In case he did not accept my life," she said.

"And a damn good thing he never would," Raph growled, picking up the present and pressing it into her free hand. He kicked the tanto across the room out of her reach. "What the hell were you thinking? Morgan only just got away from those- those _things_ and we still don't know how to keep them off her for good. You can't go throwing your life away! 'Specially when Splinter don't want you too."

"Thank you, Raphael," Splinter said dryly, "but I can speak for myself. He is right, though, child. I do not wish you any kind of harm, nor do I want you to leave. You did not take the lives of my family. My rival lit the fire. He, and ultimately I, are the only ones responsible for their fate. If Shen were here, she would agree with me."

"No," Alexis said. "She would not."

Without another word, she handed over the tiny box. Splinter took it, confusion clouding his expression.

Dread began to pool in Leo's stomach as his father untied the ribbon and removed the lid. He hooked a long finger into the package and pulled out a kanji pendant on a silver chain, polished to perfection.

His knees gave way and he sat down with a sudden huff.

"Where did you get this?" Splinter asked, voice hoarse with grief.

"Shen. Want it back, she said you would. I kept it for you after the funeral, but find you I could not."

"There was no funeral." he almost howled. "They are ash, mixed into the building!"

"What is ash to me but sleeping embers of fire?" Alexis asked with quiet pity. "Failed to save their lives, I did, but they deserved the peace of the spirit plane."

"They've been... safe this whole time?" Splinter sputtered.

"I presided over their crossing and interred them in the sacred Hamato grounds." Alexis gazed at the floor sadly. "Too many such burials have I overseen."

"How come we've never seen them then?" Leo asked in a hushed undertone.

"Because, my son," a warm female voice said, "you never called."

* * *

Splinter could not seem to get enough air. He gasped and choked, paws clenched to his chest as a willowy woman stepped through the portal. She was beautiful—with pale skin, dark hair, and intense, almond shaped, eyes. She moved with an intrinsic grace he had never thought to witness again.

She was right. He had never tried to reach her there. More afraid than his dream Leonardo of the silence that would answer such a plea. It would have broken all that was left of him.

"Shen," he croaked feeling shaken to the core as the glowing figure approached, "I'm sorry! I didn't know. I should have tried—" He flinched away as she reached him and knelt seeking a kiss. "I am not what I once was."

She wrapped a strong hand under his jaw and turned his face back, her expression fierce.

"Yoshi, I have watched over you and our sons for nearly thirty years. You are _not_ responsible for what happened. And your change means nothing. To me, you are what you always were. My beloved husband."

He shuddered as their lips met and the sun rose in his heart. Light chasing out years of cobwebs and dark. Shen brushed a hand over the soft fur of his cheek and stroked his ears, before she drew back.

"I cannot stress our daughter further, my love. I must return. I only allowed this because she insisted."

Shen sighed, rising to face the turtles who stood staring in slack-jawed awe.

"I am so proud of you all, my children."

She gave Michelangelo a hug—stunning him into a rare stillness. She stroked her fingers over Donnie's face and rested a firm hand on Leo's forearm. Then she turned to Raph, who wasn't watching her at all. He only had eyes for the rapidly tiring Morgan. Shen squeezed his shoulders.

"She is special, my son. Worthy of your great heart. Care for her?"

"Always," he answered in a gruff voice.

Shen took one last lingering look into Splinter's dark eyes and nodded as he stood. She moved close to the blue portal and bowed solemnly.

"Now you all know where to find me."

She stepped through and disappeared as Morgan tore her hands away from the altar with a gasp. It closed in a flash of light. She fell into Raphael's waiting arms. Leonardo lunged forward to support Splinter.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerned for his shaken father.

It was silent for a long moment as Splinter gazed at his family. Finally, he found his voice.

"I'm still breathing..."


	16. Enemy of My Enemy

**Enemy of My Enemy**

Karai prowled before the uniformed Foot soldiers, drawing her brows together in a tight knot as the thirty or so recruits vied for her attention. The group sparred chaotically, but the disarray was only surface deep. Inside the turmoil, patterns emerged—a method to the violent madness. Occasionally, the kunoichi paused to assess a particularly promising candidate, but mostly she called out the failures to be excused.

The number of contestants was dwindling rapidly.

Julia snorted in derision from where she sat across the room. Karai's team needed to be brought back to full strength, but it seemed unlikely the young leader would find any candidates worthy of her time in this batch of misfits. Even a _secretary_ could tell their abilities were far below the level of her preferred students. However, there were holes in the elite program which must be filled.

_Because of him..._

Julia's fist clenched involuntarily, wadding the paper under it into a wrinkled mass despite her cool exterior. She grimaced at the visible lack of control and forced her hand to relax, smoothing the crinkled surface flat again. If only it were as easy to untangle her snarled plans.

_A third failure is not an option._

Julia had finally made some progress for her Master, but her ultimate reward had been snatched away again—because of _him_. Well, to be fair, because of him, Samantha, Karai and an as yet unidentified new mutant. She sighed but straightened in her seat. If the assignment had been easy, the Master wouldn't have needed her expertise in finding those who wished to stay 'lost.'

_At least New York City was a step in the right direction._

Last fall, Morgan escaped her masochistic mentor's stronghold and led the obsessed megalomaniac on a manhunt across the country. Julia was summoned to the East Coast to help locate the girl. Personally, she couldn't have cared less about her whereabouts, for the young woman was not one of those her _true_ Master was searching for.

Nevertheless, she had a persona to uphold if she wanted to continue utilizing Charlie's vast resources, so she packed her bags and dragged herself to the city. While tracking down the wicked little thing, she had stumbled over the very people she had been seeking all along.

_Although "people" might be too generous a word._

An echo of the Hamato clan still existed—hiding in the bowels of New York. Karai claimed their connection to the family was weak, that the strangely mutated beings were only adopted members. Still, they were the closest any of the Master's agents had come to the locating any descendants in the past thirty years.

Julia reported her findings and her efforts had been vastly rewarded.

A shadow darkened the back of her eyes as a rush of strength, heat, and hate filled her at the thought. She smiled cruelly. The raging energy of the Master's gift was difficult to command at first, but now she could control it at will. She could even loan it temporarily to others—strengthening them or fogging their senses until they bowed to her will.

With this power came a new directive. Capture one of the elusive creatures.

In the beginning, Julia set her sights on Raphael. Attached as he was to Morgan, he was the weakest link and, according to Karai, the brawn of the group—not the brains.

Embedded as she was in Charlie's retinue, it was easy to contrive a plan which would compromise the structure of the situation. Charlie may have thought he orchestrated Morgan's kidnapping, but it was Julia who flushed out the target and with a few words in the Shredder's ear started an all out war over the girl.

With Raphael physically injured and destroyed over the supposed 'death' of his beloved, it would only be a matter of time before he attempted revenge and in his weakened state, was captured.

_But it wasn't Raphael who retaliated._

Leonardo somehow tracked the scheme back to her. Julia was unprepared for a physical confrontation with the infuriated leader and no match for his mutated strength—even with her enhancements, but...

_His presence—his menacing grace—were seductive._

Her mind raced wildly, as she fought to divert his anger away from herself. She dropped a name she was sure would garner his attention.

_Shredder._

It worked. The creature left her seeking more satisfying prey, but before he vaulted out the window, Julia discovered one thing more. With the remnants of her Master's touch still clinging to her senses, she could _smell_ his pedigree.

_Leonardo is a prince of the blood._

No matter if Karai claimed otherwise, or that he was somehow a mutated monster, he was also a full blooded Hamato! The sweet scent of his ancestry burned her nostrils and seared its way into her brain.

_Just remembering it makes me... hungry._

Julia shook off the haze, trying to regain her focus, but she was too lost in memory to truly observe the useless Foot soldiers sparring around her.

She never figured out how the mutants or Karai found the underground lair where she had secreted Charlie and Morgan. Attending to other business at the time, she was spared damage at the encounter, but the subsequent murder of Charlie ruined her plans. With his death, she lost an army of mercenaries and the monetary resources on which she had come to depend.

_But I also missed my chance to capture Raphael._

Recalling the extent of her Master's disappointment made her fist clench again. This time, the pen she was holding cracked, spilling bright blue ink on the white legal pad in front of her and staining the skin of her fingers.

_The color of that infuriating creature's mask._

She snarled and dabbed at the mess with a tissue, but her efforts were in vain. Just like her explanations to the Master. She shuddered violently. He had rested a shadowed talon atop her head and the sound of her own voice—screaming until she was hoarse—had echoed in her ears as shear agony scorched a path from her scalp to her toes.

_That was strike one._

Julia glanced up as Samantha meandered through the door, skirted the tiring soldiers, and sidled over to the makeshift desk in the corner. She smoothed away her glare to smile at the deranged girl. After all, it was she who had talked their way into the Shredder's retinue, allowing Julia access to Karai and her elite Foot Ninja.

They were skilled, unlike this group. Not as expert as their quarry, but en masse they had the advantage against one turtle alone. It would have taken most of Julia's energy to improve them to the point of near indestructibility, but she was willing to make that sacrifice. Karai, however, resisted her influence.

The kunoichi would not be manipulated without some heavy mental lifting.

_She's the sharp-minded sort. A woman who fought arduously to attain her position._

Julia's smile widened into a perfect reflection of her former mentor's predatory grin. Charlie may have despised the girl, but Karai was the type of challenge Julia lived for. She had many uses. Command of a group of specialized soldiers was only one of them.

"Any luck with this batch?"

Samantha's whiny tone knocked Julia from her musing and she grimaced. "Not that I can see. None of these are more than average fighters."

She tilted her head up to examine the taller girl leaning against the desk. Sam seemed to have her head on straight today.

_At least she's not foaming at the mouth..._

The pretty little blond went insane over Charlie's destruction. While her tantrum-like demands for the total elimination of the turtles had granted them a return to the Shredder's good graces, her mental see-sawing made her an uncertain ally.

"It's probably best if you steer clear of Karai for a while," Julia warned. "She's rather ticked off about the amount of C4 you planted in the building. It kinda goes against her code to use explosives."

Sam shot her a feral grin.

"You know it's the only way to really kill those monsters."

Julia nodded as if sympathizing with the demented girl, then bit her lip to suppress her own anger. She couldn't stop the shadow from darkening her eyes. Sam's insistence on the Hamatos suffering a violent end by explosives almost cost Julia her mark.

Of course, any of the turtles would probably do for her Master in a pinch. He had demanded only that she procure a member of the remaining family, but...

_I have a vendetta of my own to settle now._

"You killed some talented fighters with it too. At least the ones who survived the fall..."

For Julia, it must be Leonardo or nothing. Twice he had escaped her traps and totally thwarted her plans. Nothing angered her more.

Sam shrugged. "They're replaceable."

Julia growled under her breath. If—no, when—she encountered the blue-clad ninja again, the tables would be turned, but she could not afford for this loose cannon to muck up her scheme a third time.

"All the same, maybe you should let me work with Karai on the next plan," Julia advised. "We need information. The location of their hideout and such. If you keep blowing them up, we may not get them all..."

Sam's brows creased uncertainly.

"Don't you want to find Morgan?" Julia continued, letting a little persuasive energy leak into her voice.

The girl nodded eagerly, like a child offered candy for good behavior.

"I promise after we're done with whoever we capture you can strap C4 all over his shell and push the detonator yourself," Julia said, sealing the deal.

With a cry of joy, Samantha patted her back. "I'll stay out of it then. But, make sure Karai knows I get to hold the plunger this time."

Julia shook her head as the blonde danced her way out.

_At least she agreed to no explosives this time._

Karai watched her go with narrowed eyes before drifting over to the table herself.

"What did she want?"

The kunoichi didn't bother to conceal the snarl in her voice.

"She was checking in. I think I've convinced her to sit the next round out though," Julia said with a mock sigh. "I told her Morgan was still out there and we needed to capture a turtle to find her. Sooo... No more explosives."

Karai grunted. "Good. Or next time _she's_ going to be in a building when I blow it up."

Julia laughed lightly then sprang her trap on the young ninja, for the Shredder's adopted daughter harbored a secret. One which could destroy her if it got out.

There was a reason Karai was skilled at luring out the prey. She understood far more about what made the turtles tick than her father. With a single rumor, the girl had drawn one out of hiding and forced a meeting in a location of her choosing.

_And not just any 'one'. Leonardo. There's more going on between her and the leader of the Hamatos than the Shredder sees._

Last night Karai had returned to the fortress alone—scratched and bruised, her face a mask of emotional pain. She avoided the guards posted throughout the hall and disappeared into her rooms without filing a report. Today the tell-tale signs of makeup covered her wounds, but they were visible to Julia's trained eye.

_She obviously encountered him again. He must not have been as injured as she believed if he beat her so badly._

"She does kind of have a point though. Those turtles are tough," Julia said with a conspiratorial glance through her lashes. "Leonardo survived the last one intact, didn't he?"

Karai's head snapped around at his name and she fixed the secretary with a glare.

"I mean he beat you pretty bad."

The shadow again darkened Julia's eyes but this time the anger left a sour taste in her mouth. Leonardo had, in a sense, beaten them both. Perhaps now the girl would listen. With several recent losses, she might be more willing to entertain a notion which offered a more... permanent solution to her family's turtle problem.

She would have to tread carefully, though, and not push Karai too far. Unbridled retribution would only get in the way of her plans. Case in point, Samantha.

Karai lunged for Julia's throat but she held up a hand.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone he got the drop on you... I mean he is so big—so strong." Julia gave an admiring, dramatic shiver.

Karai's face hardened into granite. Her eyes became two black coals which burst into flame. This was not shame at being beaten by a superior warrior. She was green with envy.

_Karai has a thing for Leonardo!_

This was it. The opening Julia had been waiting for. She released the full force of her mind-fogging gift to derail the girl's logical disbelief and went in for the kill.

_No one is quite so vindictive and unreasoning as a woman scorned._

"He likes to play rough"—she let a little seductive huskiness creep into her voice as she stroked her own throat—"I begged him to be gentle, but when he pinned me to the desk... You remember, the night he had me call you? He was so hungry. He leaned in and... Let's just say he's a passionate one. It was an hour before I could make that call," she ended with a coy smile. "He made a try for Samantha too. I guess he has a thing for blondes."

Karai's jaw clenched tight. She spun on one heel and launched herself into the group of Foot Soldiers without a word, beating them black and blue, one after another.

"The bastard is going down," Julia said under her breath with a smirk.

* * *

Alexis stood in the center of the room, spread her arms, and inhaled. The familiar energy of a dojo and the scent of tatami mats grounded her. She checked her shields. They were solid, without imperfection—her aura locked away. Nothing supernatural would telegraph her intentions. Neither the warrior nor any other could eavesdrop on her plans.

_It is time to properly evaluate my charges._

Leonardo was a formidable ninja—a master—yet there was much she could teach him. It stood to reason his brothers were the same. If they were fated to interact with immortals, aliens, and time itself, they needed the best defense she could provide. That included furthering their abilities to defend themselves.

_First, I must determine where they stand._

Her clan-brothers appeared genuinely shocked by her suggestion to continue with the day's training as if the emotionally charged morning had not occurred, but when she asked Splinter for his blessing, he agreed. Currently, he sat to one side, observing. His aura visible and radiating curiosity.

"A distraction, we all require," she explained. "A chance is needed for bodies to release tension and minds to focus."

She spoke of herself as well as them. Holding Yoshi, watching him grow in an instant to stand shoulder to shoulder with her warrior, left her emotions trapped somewhere between elation and heartache. Her little prince still held her close in his heart and his forgiveness overwhelmed her with relief, but as he faded into the portal, she knew she would not see him again.

His message had been delivered. His soul was at peace. In a way, it was akin to losing him anew, but she would not trade the feeling.

_I will never be able to repay Morgan for the gift._

Reminded of the precious mother-to-be, and now intensely protective of the young woman, Alexis sent a last mental probe to the other room. The exhausted Feyian snoozed comfortably in the living area with April at her side.

Opening the doorway to the spirit plane had taken a toll on Morgan's already flagging energy, but she appeared otherwise unharmed. Donatello had examined her with a fascinating technological device and declared her fit—if "a little insane."

Alexis bristled at the comment, but Leonardo touched her arm stopping a sharp retort. Morgan was not injured by the remark. In fact, she smiled. Reluctantly, Alexis concluded his pronouncement was nothing more than teasing.

_Adjusting to such interaction is going to take some time._

Reassured that Morgan remained ok, Alexis warned her against 'helping' her mate in the coming match.

_:This is to be a purely physical test of their abilities, little sister. We will play aural games another time.:_

An exhausted mumble answered her and Alexis suppressed a laugh as foggy impressions of sleep as the girl's only intention for the entire day drifted through.

_:Understood.:_

Those matters settled, she returned her focus to the dojo. Four bodies surrounded Alexis on compass points, each approximately ten feet away. The one to her East jigged up and down with excitement but didn't make a move. Two others held position firmly on her North and West, but their auras' fissioned with nerves. The one South of her was undetectable except for the rapid patter of his heart, elevated by the challenge.

"With these rules, I know you are familiar," she said aloud. "When out of weapons, defeated you are. Please retire to the side. Two each, you possess—save you, clan-brother"—she nodded to Donatello—"If you I disarm and your weapon strikes the floor, you may retrieve it once."

With everything in order, Alexis gave the blue strip of fabric bound tightly across her eyes—one of the warrior's extra masks—a final tug. She balanced her weight and dropped her arms, palms to her sides in a relaxed 'ready' stance.

"Now," she ordered. "Subdue me, if you can..."

Breathless, she waited for their first move. Surprisingly, it wasn't an attack, but a debate.

"Um... Leo?" the gruff voice of her red-banded clansman muttered, "I ain't exactly comfortable with this."

"You've seen her fight, dude"—came the retort, but not from the leader—"It's all good."

"Four on one, Mike? Splinter don't even do that with practice weapons no more. We're too strong. We're gonna hurt her with live steel."

Alexis' lips twitched into a smile but she remained silent and motionless, waiting for the outcome.

"I don't know what you're worried about, Raph. Your sai didn't so much as scratch her before."

"She was wearin' armor, numbskull. An' ya pushed me. Maybe I missed. 'Sides, then she was armed and had full use of her sight. Now, she's got too many handicaps..."

Alexis needn't imagine what he saw. The image of a petite Asian girl projected throughout the dojo, along with his worry. Her hair was mussed from the blindfold and she stood alone in the middle of the room wearing a loose black gi.

Not as imposing as some of her other forms, Alexis had to admit, but appearances could be deceiving.

_Another fine lesson._

"Come on!" Mikey whined, eager to get started.

"I just don't like the idea of going after her deliberately," Raphael protested with a growl.

His voice shifted pitch and Alexis cocked her head in his direction. More than her perceived weakness disturbed him. With a light touch, she followed the troubled thought home and nearly gasped her shock aloud. At the last second, she managed to swallow the startled yelp.

_He does not wish to attack because it will upset the warrior!_

In his memory, Alexis saw herself requesting a blindfold. The warrior calmly drew out the spare blue bandana from his belt pouch, folded it, and delicately covered her eyes.

She hadn't understood the significance at the time, but with Raphael's insight, she realized the masks were their one true expression of individuality—a symbol tied directly to their identity. Something they never shared.

That Leonardo gave her one of his, rather than offering the black scraps of material Raphael knew were across the room in the weapon's locker, practically screamed his brother's intentions. It didn't matter that his face remained impassive as he tied the cloth on. He may as well have branded his initials across her forehead, for the message he broadcast to his family with the gesture was both possessive and a warning.

A mixture of emotions clouded Raphael's thoughts. Alexis was pleased to note he didn't object to the idea of her as a partner for Leonardo. In fact, he thought her an excellent match so far, striking the right balance of confidence and challenge to keep the leader occupied.

He also thought she was quite capable of defending herself. And he did not mind sparring against family members, per sé. It was simply that he empathized with the situation.

Raphael felt upset and distracted whenever Leonardo worked with Morgan. If they somehow, inadvertently injured Alexis during the bout—not only would the guilt eat Raphael alive—he thought they would lose his brother's trust.

"Pretend she's Karai"—Michelangelo's mocking voice interrupted their joint musing—"You don't mind hitting her."

Raphael's mental shields abruptly snapped into place, jolting Alexis out. He snorted.

"At least when Leo ain't around to object."

_Karai._

Inexplicably, Alexis' stomach tightened and her heart clenched.

The warrior had originally mistaken her for this mystery woman. For some reason, the name prickled her skin like a blade drawn against the grain of her scales. The mention in conjunction with Raphael's earlier thoughts bothered her.

_Who is she?_

A living clan member would have attended this morning's ceremony. If she were a close friend, as the remark implied—especially one of the warrior's—Alexis would prefer to know.

_Only to keep an eye on her, of course._

Yet, Raphael's sarcastic response confused her.

_Why would he want to hit someone if his leader clearly disagreed about the need? For that matter, why strike any friend of the clan outside a sparring match?_

Since Raphael no longer projected his thoughts her curiosity was frustrated. The desire to understand was almost enough to make her lower her shields to seek a mental image of the girl in question from one of the others. Almost.

_I am not about to make the mistake of falling prey to such distractions while a ninja master is breathing down my neck._

"Perhaps, instead, a demonstration is in order?" Donatello asked.

Another piece of the genius' personality clicked into place for the Guardian. This quiet brother with the skillful hands and enhanced mind was the mediator of the group, smoothing situations into compromise with a neutral stance and a calming influence. A natural second in command.

"I mean, I'm not entirely easy about this either—"

The attack came out of nowhere. Leonardo dropped from the pipes above them, his katana poised for a killing blow.

_At least he trusts my skills…_

* * *

Alexis' arms shot upward, pinning his blade between her palms. In the same motion, she twisted. Her back arched ninety degrees as she deflected the force around her. She released the weapon, using his own momentum to roll him into his shocked brothers like a bowling ball. They scattered as he completed a single revolution and shifted into a crouch.

"Demonstration over," Leonardo said in a tone which brooked no argument. "Hajime!"

His cracked shell twinged, protesting the rough treatment. He winced almost imperceptibly as he regained his feet, but he didn't think Alexis caught the expression with her eyes covered.

He was certain in his bones she knew where he was every second, so he had no fear his attack would take her unawares, however, he wasn't so sure about her sense of his brothers.

Ever wary, he fell back a pace to recover and observe as Michelangelo sprang into action. The energetic youngster leapt towards her back and Leo tensed, forcing himself to not intervene.

Alexis smoothly sidestepped, but she almost didn't duck fast enough to dodge his counter—for he reversed his motion the second his toes touched the ground into an immediate backflip. A most unorthodox move. It might have worked, but the young turtle swung too wide to connect with his chuck.

Alexis laughed at his ploy and snagged his other chuck from his belt as he passed overhead, immediately rendering him down a 'hit'.

Leo grumbled under his breath, annoyed at his brother's playfulness.

_This is the Guardian we're supposed to be impressing here..._

Still, though he wouldn't admit it, Leonardo was relieved by Mikey's maneuver as well. Reminded that they all knew control. The miss-swing had been deliberate.

One on one, in a straight fight there was no way any of them could injure Alexis, she was too skilled, but Leo had been worried when she handicapped herself so much. It seemed his bandanna had done the trick, voicing a warning he could not in her presence.

Donatello's swung his bow low on her right, aiming for the knees. She whipped her stolen weapon around, blocking the shot and locking the chain over the end of the wood. Don jerked it back, unwilling to be disarmed so early in the game.

Alexis jumped in tandem with the motion. Using the strength of his pull, she dove headlong through Raphael's outstretched arms and launched a solid kick at his shell as she rolled between his legs—tilting him into Michelangelo.

Raph didn't lose any 'hits' since he hadn't yet drawn a sai, but he let out a furious growl as Mikey reached out to steady him.

_Okay. So she's aware of all of us. Let's see her handle a group attack._

Leonardo caught Don's eye and they attempted to flank her in a pinching action. She dropped to her knees and slid between them, leaving Donnie to take the blow Leo meant for her. The crack of his blade against the steam hardened wood echoed back from the walls—a deadened rumble of underground thunder.

The shock nearly vibrated his weapon from his hand. Nearly.

Raph and Mikey double teamed her next, but she evaded them just as easily. Soon, all four fell back, reassessing. Close work netted them nothing, so Leonardo signaled a strategy change.

One at a time they moved in to press her in quick succession, trying to wear her down. Sharp thrusts alternated with a long sweep of the leg. The jab of a bo followed the swipe of a sword.

Leo felt more comfortable by the second. Alexis handled everything they threw at her with no troubles whatsoever.

_She hasn't even broken a sweat!_

More confident, he gave the hand signal to go all out.

The battle ranged from one end of the dojo to the other as individually and in groups they repeatedly attacked. Time after time Alexis slipped away, never seeming to slow or tire. She engaged only long enough to counter, and sometimes disarm, before escaping. Raph, Don, and Mikey were each down by one.

Even blindfolded, they could not get the Guardian cornered.

Her technique enraged Raphael. He was far more used to opponents standing and fighting then skipping elusively away. As his energy began to flag, his moves became sloppier and his anger more apparent.

They were all feeling the burn of an extended bout. Most full on fights didn't last this long without some sort of a break. Mikey had even stopped showboating and was conserving his strength, but Raph's temper was wearing thin. Before Leo could warn him off, the hot-head lost it and flung his final sai at her.

It was a move of pure irritation since if she dodged—as she had been sucessfully for the past forty minutes—he would be out.

"Shit!" Raphael shouted in outrage.

Alexis diverted Leonardo's latest attack, twisting him into the path of the dagger. Leo sent Raph a glare for the rookie mistake and his arm snapped up, deflecting the blade with a swipe of his katana. It flew toward the door.

Or rather, the now open doorway—where April had just entered.

That weird convergence of time where the seconds move too fast to count but events continue to unroll in slow motion never ceased to amaze Leonardo. He analyzed the entire room in half a heartbeat and realized none of them were close enough to stop the weapon from striking their friend.

Alexis was thirty feet away engaging Michelangelo. Raphael was frozen next to the left wall, arm still outstretched from the throw. Donatello stood trapped behind him, eyes wide with horror. Splinter was mid-dive for April but he wouldn't reach her before the sai.

Mikey yelled a warning, but her human response time would not be fast enough for her to duck. April blinked and the blade was inches from her face.

Left unchecked, it would enter her brain and kill her instantly.

For all intents and purposes, Leonardo was staring at a woman already dead.

_No!_

Though it was hopeless, he launched himself across the room. His vision blurred into a swirl of indigo, green, and violet. His blood pounded so hard in his ears it sounded like wings, drowning out the noise of the dagger's impact.

Seconds later, he and Splinter collided, sweeping April with their joined arms backward to the floor of the living room. He pushed away frantically to examine the wound. If April wasn't already gone, he would do all he could to save her.

"Donnie! The medkit!" he screamed, trying to instill even the tiniest bit of hope into the situation.

No one moved.

April drew one shuddering breath, then another; gasping as she recovered from having the wind knocked out of her. Leonardo stared down into a pair of perfect green eyes in an unmarked face, completely nonplussed by the lack of blood.

"Leo"—April forced the sound through a tight throat—"you're crushing me..."

Bewildered, he rolled to the side, gaze skimming the floor for the weapon. His eyes fell on Alexis and his mouth dropped open. No longer blindfolded, she filled the doorway. Humanoid and bare—covered only with glittering scales—she mantled a pair of perfectly proportionate wings like an enraged hawk. Her chest heaved as she panted from the speed of her rescue.

With a fierce expression, she twirled Raph's oversized steel sai around her fingertips. As if it were as light as a plastic toy, she flung the twenty-pound weapon into the ground hard enough to sink the blade more than halfway.

"Today's lesson," Alexis chastised. "Always be aware of your surroundings."


End file.
